Neverending Story
by Neptoon15
Summary: "'What-what did I almost say?!' Duo was shocked by the near confession of his feelings toward Hilde. He snatched a nearby apple and occupied his mind by eating it. The first bite was loud and hard to chew, but the rest was easy to swallow..."
1. Neverending Story Chapter 1: The Realiza...

  
In this story, I am figuring what happened behing the scenes with Duo and Hilde as well as mentioning things we already know about.One thing I did add that may confuse people is that I gave Hilde an accent in my story because she is German and I felt she needed one and would have had one if cartoon netwrok thought about it.I have 25 chapters to it, and I WILL finish this story! I'm very excited about it. It will go all the way to after _The Endless Waltz _and even explain things like why Hilde didn't fight or help Duo during _The Endless Waltz._ I hope everyone likes it, although I won't view myself to be nearly as good as other story writers on this page! Another thing is that since my specialty is poetry, I have A LOT of figurative language in here. If anyone wants a translation or explanation, please e-mail me. My screen-name is Neptoon15, and title your subject 'neverending story'. Thanks! 

Chapter one: _The Never Ending Story_  
**THE REALIZATION OF DESTINY...**

Hilde Schbeiker strode through the streets of an unknown cluster of L-2. Still in her military uniform, the people gave her plenty of room to walk... even if she was no longer a member of the military. They didn't want to chance anything as risky as angering a military officer.  
She had been an officer that all the over-ranking officials trusted, and Hilde was viewed as great potential. At the age of 15, she joined the army, willing to risk life and limb for the peace of the colonies. She had been inspired to do so by the very death of her parents, killed during the oppressive rule of the Alliance. (At the time, Hilde had not recognized that Oz and the Alliance were pretty much the same thing.) She achieved great heights and rank far quicker than any other soldier, despite the fact that she was German (and not incredibly fluent in English. Slang phrases and regional dialects confused her. ) and she did not look nearly as strong as she often proved to be. Her wit and instincts were sharp as tacks, and her endurance and courage were an inevitable tool of destruction. Hilde was supposed to be one of the greats that died a courageous death during battle fighting for a worthy cause.  
But fate had other things in store.  
It all started with Duo. She had given him the papers to get into OZ, basically, the ticket to invade the Lunar Base. He looked like a real strong guy that could be a terrific fighter. Hilde hadn't even guessed how right her instincts were then. Turned out Duo was already an accomplished fighter fearfully nicknamed the Shinigami. The God of Death himself. Hilde saw Duo try to sneak in before the day when new recruits joined up, and right when the guard was going to let Duo by, Hilde was sure to catch him. Something wasn't right about this situation...she just knew it....  
And she was right. He hurled his bag at her face and made a run for it. But Hilde was NOT going to let that American bastard get away with THAT humiliation! Firing up her mobile suit, she pursued Duo. Long story short...this guy claimed to fight for the colonies, too and pushed Hilde out of harms way. (The gunshots fired from her own side.)   
Hilde insisted upon interrogating Duo herself. Why had he saved her? She didn't need any help from her enemies. She was already prepared to sacrifice her own life. The gundam pilot merely replied that she didn't have the skills to be his enemy, and speeched to her about what fighting for the colonies really took And why they were _both_ being foolish. And....for some reason, she believed him. For once, she understood every word an American said. And when Duo broke out later, Hilde made the most drastic stance of her life. Perhaps the most rushed and stupid one. Funny though, in a way she didn't even have a choice. She believed Duo. She somehow believed in Duo already. And she was going to fight for what she believed in. She ruined her promising 'career' in the two minutes it took to fly out there and destroy two mobile dolls that were going to attack Duo, and by firing a final shot in the Lunar base...a door for Duo. "Go and do whatever it is you want to accomplish, Duo." That was pretty much the last thing she'd said to anybody. She never spoke a word in her defense to Oz.   
All she could think about was if he succeeded. She hoped so. She did know that she'd do anything in her power to help again. So maybe she was just a stupid little German girl. Funny though, how she never felt like she had ever known so much when in actuality she knew so little.  
The problem now was that Hilde had nothing left to offer to help now that she needed so much help herself. After the incident, her defense proved that Hilde had been a victim of the Gundam pilots' clever manipulation. Her silence was dictated to be proof of her sorrow, not what it actually was, disgust. And the organization excused Hilde's behavior due to this and her flawless background. The action, however, was something that could never be overlooked. She was given an immediate dishonorable discharge without pay or a chance to gather what few belongings she had, including civilian clothes.   
Her humiliation didn't end there. There were certainly other soldiers that were upset of the 'kind' treatment shown to Hilde. When they dropped her off on the wrong L2 cluster, she was mugged, beaten, and nearly even raped by former comrades, barely escaping with her life. Now her goal was to get away from here and them in case they were still looking for her, which they were bound to do. The only thing with Hilde now were the keys to her grandparents house. They died while she was in the service, and left her everything they had, including the junkyard and a huge garage. But it sure as hell didn't do her any good when she had no way there.  
This had all happened 2 days ago, so Hilde's wounds had healed up a bit, though she still walked with an obvious limp. Her jacket and shirt were ripped pretty bad, which made it even colder. The word food was so exotic and seemingly impossible for Hilde that she blocked it from entering her mind. And among all these things, she still couldn't stop thinking about Duo...  
It was at about this time a yell brought her back to reality. Anguished and full of lament, it screamed for some sort of retribution of something lost long ago...  
Only now did Hilde realize that she had wandered into the charcoal remains of something that had been burnt down long ago. It must have been an awesome fire, judging by the destruction she was awing at now. The amazing thing was that it had to have happened some time ago... and the remains were never cleaned up, like they usually were at colonies, since space was so precious. She noticed that everyone that was going by never looked at it, they always looked the other way and practically bolted by it as if they didn't want to acknowledge it's existence anymore and wanted to completely wipe the horrific event from their mind.  
Hilde investigated the area a bit, not too sure what to make of it or where to go since the sound had disappeared. She crept up to a jagged ridge, supporting herself on a sturdy form that enabled her to peek over the odd promontory a little better....  
Below her, graves were scattered in short wide rows. On colonies, the bodies are actually jettisoned into space in a casket for the funeral, unless they are cremated. (Which most are, since it's more practical and cheap.) The markers are just left in their memory. Since you don't have to spend so much on a plot of land for the body, the tombstones are usually elaborate. The fact that these were not indicated extreme poverty. They were just big enough to fit a name and day on it, from what she could tell.  
Looking down, Hilde saw a figure that looked as vague and dark as a black shadow, kneeled beside two graves. It seem like there was no color to his features or the area around him. Just black and white. Lightness and darkness, defined with no prejudice as he hunched over the tombstones and tried to merge with this area that reeked if nothing but death as he cried out to an all powerful spirit for deliverance from hell for his crimes or the mercy of heaven for being a victim of them.....  
Hilde could take no more. This figure stirred something deep within her, and whether it was fear or admiration, she had to get away. Somehow she felt that these emotions and this place were full of a complex history that she could not understand. She crawled off the sturdy form that had held her up, ignoring the throbbing pain in her leg that always got worse when she put any weight down on it. She was about to leave when she noticed just what it was....  
A large and elaborate crucifix that supported itself on the ridge with the two shorter 'arms'. The detail was so intricate and beautiful that Hilde could only long to touch it and dust the shouldered marks off of the golden skin and reveal the face whose features stuck out so prominately from the soot. A beautiful and somber face the would have gazed up at the sky if it was standing upright, but now it seemed to look toward the remains. Hilde knelt over and reached for it, but as she did she suddenly realized that the black shadow was gone...and a deep fear buried itself in her throat as she felt a presence standing behind her. Strangely enough, one she recognized, but in a different form of some soul she knew.  
She closed her eyes and recoiled her hand, and prepared to turn and face the guardian of this domain. But before she could, she was lifted above the ground and felt a strong and icy grip tighten around her neck.   
With her mind cut off by the strangling, Hilde's heart was left to think on it's own, and it called this soul by the name of its lighter aspect with the last breath she could squeeze out....  
"Duo........."  
And she fell to the ground quickly to devour the air, which somehow smelt cleaner now that those cobalt blue eyes lit up with recognition....  


  
  
  
  



	2. Neverending Story Chapter 2: The Shiniga...

Chapter two: _The Never Ending Story_  
**The Shinigami's Mask...**

" Hilde?" Duo asked, staring in disbelief at the huddled figure that desperately clung to the ground now. What on earth was she doing here, in an Oz uniform none the-less! Leaning down low, he lifted her chin to get a better view of her eyes......Duo always recognized a person by their eyes. This secured his beliefs, as the German girl at his feet was definitely Hilde. One worry from his mind was cleared, now that he did indeed know she was living. But he'd just nearly killed the girl that he was so worried about before!   
"Hilde!" Duo began again, as soon as she had regained some of her lost breath, "what are ya' doin' here ya' fool, and in that uniform! That's a damn good way to get yourself killed!Yeesh!" he exclaimed as he helped her to her feet.  
Only now did Duo realize just how hurt Hilde was. He had thought that she had escaped somehow from Oz completely unscathed. He'd hoped that curse hadn't touched her...  
Slim and still weakened, Hilde was bruised everywhere that Duo could see. She had one black eye that was fading, and several of her cuts were healing, though mildly infected. The Oz uniform that had attracted Duo's attention in the first place was ripped badly, though it seemed that her shirt received the most damage. Various areas of the garment were stained with her blood. As she tried to straighten herself, Duo noticed that her posture was strained and slanted as she tried to avoid placing any pressure on her right leg. Duo could tell almost instantly that she had been walking around in this kind of condition for quite some time, and he silently cursed himself, certain that it was his fault that she was in this predicament. It always was....Solo, Father Maxwell, Sister Helen......all victims of his love.The nightmares of their death began to tap Duo's shoulder with their icy fingertips again......their ever constant reminder to the young Gundam pilot that they were always behind him. The destruction that the God of Death caused would always trail him as closely as a determined police officer. He'd never escape into any alley or highway......never.  
"Duo....." Hilde interrupted, stopping Duo's thoughts. He held her up a little more strongly, just glad that something could halt them and their atrocious grasp over his conciousness as Hilde continued, "Duo.....did you accomplish your mission?"  
Duo just smiled wryly as he walked Hilde to a nearby bench across the street from the ruins of the Maxwell Church. "Why are you worried about that when you're in this kind of shape....What happened to ya' Hilde?" He asked quietly as he sat her down on the bench.  
She gave Duo half of a laugh. He couldn't help it but to notice that it was pretty, even if it was strained. It widened the semi-ever-present smile on his face. "Nothing really, compared to what_ could_ have happened, but did you, Duo?" she asked, a bit more eagerly.  
"Did I what?" Duo asked, teasing her a bit. If their was one thing Duo loved, it was an accent. And Hilde had one hellava accent, and Duo was determined to provoke her to use it as much as possible.  
"Duo!" she half-whined, half-pleaded.   
Duo just laughed. That was too cute.   
"Kinda." he responded. "I didn't destroy it, but I did get something to destroy it with."  
"What was it?" she inquired, widening her eyes a bit.  
"Eh..... I might tell ya' more," Duo joshed playfully, "but you gotta tell me more about what happened to you first."   
"What do you mean?"  
Duo just motioned toward her torn shirt and a large scar on her shoulder that traveled up her neck, missing her jugular vein by mere centimeters. Hilde just lowered her head and started to shake a bit. And though that response was more than enough to answer Duo's question, he urged her on by taking her hand, which knocked Hilde back to reality as she began to reply.  
" I was given a dishonorable discharge without pay, that's all. They didn't give me a chance to get any of my stuff. They dropped me off on the wrong cluster of L-2, too. Some of my former-comrades found me and beat me up a bit, but that's nothing I didn't handle."  
Since Duo could fill in the blanks of Hilde's story, he didn't pressure her on. He just smiled at that pride of hers that reminded him so much of his own. Duo wanted to help Hilde get somewhere safe and put her back on her own to feet again, but that was pretty impossible for him to do since he himself wasn't stable enough to make any kind of a risk like that without further endangering her. Duo's escape from the Lunar Base and his 'fame' that his capture before had brought him left him wandering with a great big 'car' to park and keep hidden. He stuck out like a sore thumb, and he was amazed that he hadn't been caught yet. He stayed here for now because these people were far behind on the news and most of them feared him more than Oz because they knew Duo's history. However, one thing was for sure. He couldn't leave Hilde, even if he wasn't stable, she was safer with him than she would be here alone. He was certain that those bastards that got here earlier would want to be finishing the job....  
"What did you get Duo?"   
"Huh?" Duo asked,"Oh yeah!" he responded, jumping back to reality. "Well, I'll tell ya' but you have to keep it quiet... "  
"I will, Duo."  
Looking around, Duo decided that the streets were still clear and it was still safe to talk. But to be certain, he lowered his voice a bit as he leaned a little closer to Hilde's ear, "A new Gundam. It's just 70% complete right now, but it's enough to kick all of my enemies asses."  
Suddenly Duo stopped. Had he just said that...without a second thought?! He couldn't believe himself! He barely knew Hilde, and though he wanted to help her, he still didn't know how, and her knowing that information just made her situation more hazardous! He cursed himself silently as Hilde just smiled, happy with the knowledge that she had helped him retrieve something so important.   
Snapping out of his rebuking, Duo decided to find out more about Hilde. Maybe she had some family that he could reunite her with. That had to be his answer. And although Duo didn't know much about 'normal' teenagers or kids, he had a little list of what he figured they were like, and having a loving family was on that list.  
"So where ya' headin', babe? Got a family or anything?" Duo questioned.  
Hilde just blushed a little bit. Only Duo could call someone like her that looked half-dead a babe. "No, I haven't got a family anymore." she sighed sadly. "My parents were killed by the Alliance. That's why I joined Oz. All I knew was that it wasn't the Alliance and it fought them, among others. While I was there, my grandparents died, I still don't know how or why......All I know is that I got a letter stating their death, and that they left everything to me that they had in their will. It isn't a lot, just a little house, a junkyard, and a really big empty garage....their business went dead after the war started....." Hilde said sadly, not realizing the importance of her words to Duo Maxwell. He sat slowly up in his seat, his eyes opened so wide that his eyelids seemed to disappear entirely. Right now, he was devouring ever word that came from her mouth, particularly, 'huge empty garage...' as Hilde continued.  
" I haven't got any way to get there though, all my money has been stolen, and I am lucky that I kept the keys...."  
"Hilde...." Duo began slowly.  
"Yes?" She inquired. As she turned her head to acknowledge him, she stumbled into the intensity of his gaze.  
"How big of a garage, exactly?"  
Hilde fell silent, trying to contain the excitement welling up within her that she had another chance to help! "Where is it?" she whispered.  
"Over there." Duo responded, drawing her attention away from his gorgeous eyes to a certain lump of rubble. Barely, she could she the dull gleam of a inactivated green eye....  
"It would fit easily, Duo." she remarked, "all you have to do is get us there..."  
"Hilde..." Duo started in his low and serious tone of voice. "It would be a lot of trouble. I'll understand if you don't want to be a part of it..."   
"Duo! I'll do anything to help! I don't care!"  
Duo just sighed and smiled. "Well, first things first. Come with me, I have to run some errands real quick."  
Helping Hilde to her feet, he secured her to his shoulder as he started walking off. Once again, as the grin remained plastered to his face, Duo fell victims to his contemplations, or rather the deliberations of the Shinigami's mask. What was the mask? It was merely the image that he provided for people, the ones he fought and the ones he acquainted himself with that he hid his true thoughts and feelings behind. It was , maybe even, a mirror into his soul. An instrument he used to pacify and trick his human nature into thinking that he was still human when he used the name 'God of Death.' A device of manipulation to make certain that his compassion was not actually in control, but that let his kindness rule over him in more calm situations. But more importantly, the Shinigami's mask was a mark of his past and everything he was, everything he could never escape, and everything that would keep him alone in the future.  
Why had Duo chosen to wear this mask? A plaster smile with the clear and untainted eyes that he was certain he had once owned sometime before all the sorrow...maybe when he was a baby and too young to know the crucial and devastating effects of issues like abandonment and poverty. He wore it because he had seen too much sorrow reaped by people. They harvested this gruesomely grievous crop as if it was essential for their survival. But Duo knew it wasn't.  
The people of the colonies had already lost too much, and Duo vowed by the ashes of Father Maxwell and Sister Helen, whose remains still fluctuated in the air around here, that he would do his **damned** best to keep them from losing anymore by fighting to end this oppression! They didn't have to! Duo would do it for them! That was why the Shinigami existed. To keep the smiles on people's faces by taking all their sorrow for them. Duo didn't wear the priest outfit because it was cool, big, black and baggy. He wore it because he was preaching to a different crowd. One that was going to have to learn the hard way.  
Duo took the teachings of Jesus to a whole new extreme, and just like how Jesus paid the ultimate price for sins humans committed, Duo was prepared to sacrifice his life to fight for the peace of the colonies so that the people would not have to.  
This is Duo's kindness. The face behind the mask of the Shinigami. The mask itself was the will to kill to meet his goal and prevent the suffering the innocents might be subjected to. Somewhere along the way though, the people Duo fought to protect turned against him, they didn't want their smiles back, and he found himself fighting them.....like Hilde. It was hard to fight against the people that Duo was trying to save, and it was hypocritical! Now, Duo had to try to re-adapt himself to this new environment, and while the mask urged Duo to fight, now Duo had to answer the question of who he should be fighting.  
The consequences of the mask had devastating and painful results that Duo had to deal with. But it was something he still took seriously. As long as war thrived, so would the God of Death. As long as war thrived, Duo would not stand aside to watch others kill themselves. As long as war thrived, that meant there were people fighting that should not be, since it was Duo's responsibility. And as a result of this cruel terms that the mask bid Duo to obey, something like a curse followed.   
Every person close to Duo Maxwell died. The Shinigami seemed to have an aura around him that killed all the people he loved. Death was not a discriminator, and since Duo was the essence of death, he blamed only himself for their demise. It seemed that Death could only be approached and embraced by Death itself...  
So why? Why was he helping Hilde? Getting close to her and sentencing her to death? Without second thought?! Looking again at the girl that he supported on his shoulder, Duo broadened his grin. She really did look like death itself now, maybe that's why he felt more at ease with her. And now here she was, still standing tall, ready for more. Her spirit was just as defiant as his. He guessed that he'd be as powerless refusing her help as he was trying to refuse his now.  
Yes. Duo decided that Hilde was a kindred spirit. But he'd be careful to get too attached to her so that she'd live. No more innocents could fall victim to the Shinigami's mask. Their death was so much more imposing when he intimately knew their hopes, dreams, and aspirations for the future that they would never be capable of achieving.   
Looking around now, Duo realized that he was exactly where he wanted to be.   
"Here we are!" he announced to the hobbling Hilde. "You sit right there where I can keep my eye an you." he chirped as he ushered her to yet another bench.  
"What are you going to do, Duo?"   
"I'm going to walk into the store, Hilde." he laughed, winking at her before he ran inside.  
'OK,' Duo thought after only 5 minutes within the store. 'Maybe it is true that guys have no idea about what to do when shopping for women.' He didn't need anything fancy! Not exactly loaded with cash himself, Duo just needed something that would keep her warm and cover her up. Just about anything would be better than that torn shirt she had on now. It was driving him crazy! After all, Duo was a guy, and a guy could only take so much!   
Living on the streets as a child with his gang, Duo had seen his fill of nasty women prostitutes. They were all the same to him. The God of Death desired more than looks out of a women although he did have features that he preferred, all of which Hilde held in great abundance. Like the midnight blue, almost black (his favorite color) hair whose short and spunky style highlighted her light power-blue eyes and framed her pale cream face. Short and thin, Hilde still had a very curved and beautiful form, which reminded Duo a bit of a vampire, though she lacked the fangs and bloodthirsty nature. This did more than appeal to Duo and his 'darker' side. Duo didn't know Hilde very well by her personality, but there were things about her that he already knew her loved, like her kindness, stubbornness, determination, endurance, and little things like that accent (Boy, did he ever love the accent!) and her laugh, as well as that adorable pixie-like charm.  
Duo was growing desperate now as he walked past rack after rack of clothes that barely even clung to the clothes hanger, let alone human flesh. Finally, he found a purple sweater that was 'one size fits all' for $5.00. He purchased it quickly, and hid the bag behind his back as he walked out the door. It seemed that as soon had his foot had grounded itself on the outside concrete he was questioned by a curious Hilde...  
"Duo! What did you do? What are you hiding?..."  
"Whoa! Light on the questions, babe! Whad' d'ya say we go find something to eat...."  
"Food?!" Hilde asked, forgetting about everything else as Duo directed her to a Krystal's. Promptly sitting her down so that she could wallow in the aroma of cooking meat, Duo ordered a big bag of Kystal's and as soon as he sat down with them, they both began to dig in....and it didn't take them long to devour them and fill their stomachs.  
"How will we get there, Duo? Without you getting caught?" Hilde asked when she finished her meal.  
"I'm familiar with every L-2 cluster. I've got connections and techniques. We're riding their in my 'car.' You can't see it when the 'hood' is down. And afterwards, I'll stop by a gas station, where we'll rent a truck and take in the rest of the way."  
Hilde caught on to the double language much more quickly than Duo expected, and she smiled cheerfully. "Are you sure it will work?" she asked.  
"Sure am. But I'll need some directions there. Can ya' write 'em down for me, starting at 'Stan's Station'?"  
"Yes, I know exactly where that is!"  
"Good girl." Duo said, smiling as he passed Hilde a napkin and pen. As she busily scratched out her directions on the napkin, Duo pulled out the sweater, tossing it to her when she was done.  
"Go on and change into that while I take a look at this." Duo said as he began reading the napkin.  
Hilde just smiled. "Thank-you, Duo. You didn't have to do that."  
"And you don't have to help me out either, but you are."  
Hilde's smile just widened a little, as she turned and hobbled off to the bathroom.  
Duo made a mental note to check that leg himself later on. And as for getting them to her house, it would be easier than he thought. As it turned out, he already knew where it was. It was, or had been, one of his checkpoints as a sweeper, (though he never had to use it.) which would explain her grandparents 'mysterious' deaths. Hilde couldn't have known about it even if she lived there unless she was a part of the group. Checkpoints had to be very secretive, or they'd get caught. Duo had to guess that her grandparents got sloppy at some point. Never-the-less, Duo grinned widely. Things were going his way again...for now.  
He took a look at Hilde, who was coming back out of the restroom now and held back a laugh.  
"It's a little big." she said giggling.  
As Hilde held her arms out in awe at the sheer bagginess of the sweater, the image of a large light purple tent accented by a dark violet stripe at the top with Hilde's head poking out like a flag flashed through Duo's mind. Indeed, the garment seemed to devour Hilde whole, and she could probably fit three more of herself in that sweater with her.  
Gazing at the living testament to his poor shopping sense, Duo burst into laughter. Oh, he was horrible!That sweater hadn't looked nearly as big on the rack, and it did say 'one size fits all' on the label! And those tight black military pants and dusty brown combat boots made the gigantic sweater look even more heinous!  
Finally calming down, Duo just shook his head and supported Hilde on his shoulder again.  
"Let's be off, babe. We've got work to do." He said. 


	3. Neverending Story Chapter 3: The Glass R...

  
This chapter is a song/fic with the translated lyrics to one out of many of Duo's Japanese character songs! The song is called "Kitto O.K.!" (Translation: Absolutely O.K.!) On a personal note, this song is VERY COOL for those of you who haven't heard it. I will make other song/fics with Gundam Wing songs, but not all of my stories will be song/fics, as I'm sure you have guessed. And there will definitely be one with 'White Reflection' which is why I named my story 'Never Ending Story'(Also great song!). You'd understand if you'd heard or read the lyrics.  
  
Chapter three: _The Never Ending Story_  
**The Glass Road...**  
  
After taking a second, or rather, a few minutes, to throw out all the junk from his gundam (empty soda cans, candy bags, potato chip sacks, and the ever present half eaten bags of popcorn) to make room for Hilde, Duo leaned back for a second to see how this could work. He still couldn't believe what he was doing and how his precarious situation had changed just by meeting her again....it was so amazing and yet so incredibly weird.......

*_A chance meeting can change your whole future..._*

Never-the-less, it had happened.  
Duo knew there wasn't any place in his gundam to put Hilde, especially with her leg hurt so badly, but in his lap. Maybe if it wasn't hurting her so badly then he could have put her behind the seat, which he wouldn't have liked anyway because it would have been unsafe, crowded, and too easy to mess up vulnerable exposed wires. Now he just had two problems...  
1. Putting her on his lap and still being able to see and respond quickly.  
2. Her reaction to it.  
Of course, Duo didn't really have a problem with it. He was definitely a normal teenage guy in that aspect. Duo didn't have that many opportunities to have any fun, especially with women, and the men he had to hang out with were either older than him, were like Quatre, or worst of all, like Heero Yuy. Fun, fun fun. Sike!Right now, Duo was going to make the most out of this innocent situation. Like Timon and Pumbaa with their 'Hakuna Matata' motto, Duo also had a few choice words he chose to live by. They were 'live for the moment.' And being a gundam pilot, Duo knew that life was a fleeting word that was never guaranteed to last through any second. And that was why he was already planning on a turbulent ride....hehehehehe....  
  
*_ Believe in miracles, things will work out...  
It's gonna be O.K.!_ *

He peeked his head out to gaze at the tiny speck of Hilde as he carelessly chunked out one last piece of junk that she looked at scornfully, gathering it up and tossing it into a trash-can that they drug over to place all the junk. A very big and overflowing trashcan.....It was very clear to see that Hilde was worrying about the condition of her house with a sloppy guest like Duo in it.  
He just laughed, and returning his mind to the subject at hand, he concerned himself about her thoughts of being so close to him. He didn't want to upset her, though he didn't think that she'd be too picky. She seemed to trust him as much as he somehow seemed to trust her with all this priceless information... It was so rare for Duo to trust anyone.  
  
* _There's just one thing so important that you can't entrust it to anyone..._   
_There's only one chance, reach out for it...tomorrow's too late. _* 

Time to call her up.  
"Hey, Hilde!"  
"Yeah?"  
"You ready yet?"  
"Uh-huh."  
Duo descended down on a cord and scooped Hilde up, using his side to support her. She grimaced a bit when her leg hit Duo's, and he frowned as he remembered the way that she had gotten injured...damn foolish men.  
"Duo," Hilde asked, a bit nervously as they began up to the entrance, "How are you going to fit me in there?"  
"Well...you're going to have to sit in the cockpit with me." Duo explained, trying to think of how to phrase it properly without sounding like he was a male pig, "There isn't any other place that you could fit safely, especially..."  
"I know, I know. Especially because of my leg." Hilde finished for Duo. "I already kinda figured that that would be what we'd have to do."  
Duo just grinned broadly, happy that he didn't have to describe this little situation with a lot of detail. He hated that, and it really wasn't like this was a big deal or anything. He sat down first, and then gently pulled Hilde into his lap, taking great care not to hurt her leg and _still_ trying not to laugh at that sweater. After a few seconds of adjustment, he couldn't help it but to notice that Hilde was shaking slightly. There wasn't too much doubt in Duo's mind that she was still a little on edge because of her last encounter with men. But she didn't have to worry around him! He didn't want anyone to feel uncomfortable around him. More than anything else, Duo just wanted to be an 'average Joe'.  
"Hey Hilde," Duo said softly, "It's O.K."  
Gazing up at Duo, Hilde realized that those few words had done more than a million could by her closest friends. She stopped shaking and tried to relax. Duo wouldn't do anything to her. She just knew it. So she smiled back calmly at him as he closed the cockpit. 

* _Forget about yesterday when all you could do  
was hug your knees and sigh...believe in yourself. _*

Duo liked this a lot. He wasn't going to do anything that would hurt Hilde or get too close to her, but a bumpy ride would be a good excuse to have a little fun! And how could Duo possibly resist since 'fun' was his middle name! Even if the situation was a bit dangerous, he knew that they had a place to go, so everything was going to be alright.   
He fired up the engines and activated the cloak, purposely making his take-off a little wobbly, kinda like a sneaky sneeze in Spring that leaves it's victim on edge, though they know the origin is from the pollen of fresh flowers.

* _Maybe it will turn out fine, yeah, so I'm sure it will turn out fine  
Your chance is right in front of you!..._*

Hilde gasped and threw one of her arms around Duo's neck, and his mischievous grin widened. He really had no worries now.

*_It's fine...it's sure to be O.K.!_   
_Maybe it will turn out fine, yeah, so I'm sure it will turn out fine.  
For the dream that never ends..._*

He increased the engine flow, which led to a great gurgling and jumping of the motor, and she pressed herself to Duo, her hand swiftly swiping the other hand around Duo's neck, forming an odd necklace around his throat. Then, coming to her senses and recognizing that devilish grin on his face, Hilde just mentally kicked herself for her foolishness and smiled back at him as he returned the engines to their normal flow, laughing the entire time. Hilde completely relaxed and unstiffened herself, and secured her faith in the goofy Duo. With no more doubts, she just giggled at Duo's silliness and her own edgy nerves. And even though she knew Duo had been messing with her, she didn't loosen her grip either. As it would turn out, Hilde had a mischievous nature of her own...

* _From the moment you give up, even luck will escape you  
Just have fun until the pressure builds too high and...  
It's gonna be O.K.!_ *

"Sorry about that, babe, just a little turbulence..."  
"Yeah, I'll bet." she snorted.  
Another cackle escaped from Duo as he exited the colony and took a shortcut through space.  
"So you ready for this?" Duo asked.  
"Yes," Hilde replied bravely, without so much as a second thought. "Besides, what other choice have we got? I'll do anything to help you guys help the colonies!"  
  
*_ There's only one rule---cowardice is not allowed.  
There's only one chance to try---gamble your life on this game... *_

Duo just sighed. He hoped Hilde wouldn't get hurt trying to help him. She reminded him so much of himself. But one thing was for sure, he couldn't have stayed where he was! Neither could Hilde. She was right. There really was only one choice. They were traveling on a glass road that seemed to have no substenacnce of it's own. Escorting each other down the transparent and fragile surface, both Duo and Hilde tip toed their way across to their unknown and questionable future. No answers could be gained as far as where it would take them, though many landmarked assumptions jutted out beside the walkway, the swerving and unclouded path did not give any hint as to which of the many sites they would find themselves at.

*_Just keep running on the rails for someone...  
I know you can't settle for being satisfied with where you are..._*

The trip wasn't going to take long. But Hilde was so comfy and tired that she was already starting to doze off. Duo's smile knew no bounds now as he gently piloted the DeathScythe Hell towards...home. He reflected on that word for a minute. It was one that most people were so accustomed to that they took it for granted. But for Duo, the word was so strange that he wasn't even certain as to if he should welcome or shun it from his vocabulary..... Looking down at the dozing woman, Duo contemplated her dreams. Was she worrying now? What aspirations of hers would his presence stall? He decided not to add it to his vocabulary, for her safety. It was just another temporary place of residence.

*_You're always full of dreams...don't worry about anything.  
Ride the wave you've been waiting for..._*

Somehow Duo felt that she wasn't worrying at all and that her dreams were being shaped by all these present events just as his were. Never-the-less, Duo knew that they'd be fine and he was very glad that she was more comfortable around him now. He didn't ever want to be a burden to her. He'd never wanted to be a burden to anyone...

* _Even if your just hugging your knees and sighing   
and can't see the answers, believe in yourself... _*

They neared the stopping point as Duo swerved into the entrance of L-2 and ducked into a secret entrance that led him safely past security and directly to Stan's Station. Before he uncloaked and landed, Hilde opened her eyes and stared sleepily at Duo with a drowsy grin on her face. 

* _Maybe it will turn out fine, yeah, so I'm sure that it will turn out fine,  
Your chance is right in front of you...  
It's fine...it's sure to be O.K.!_ *

'That's too cute,' Duo thought, as he smiled back at her. Turning off the engine, Duo stopped to take a deep breath. He didn't really want to move, but he knew it was nessecary. Opening the cockpit, Duo released the controls of the Deathscythe Hell and wrapped his free arm around Hilde's waist as he assisted her up and out of the cockpit and down the Gundam by the cord. No sooner had they landed than did Duo meet up with Stan himself....  
"Duo! Back again, so soon!" He chided as he practically roared with laughter, shaking Duo's hand with a flurry of friendly motion, "And who's this with you?" Stan inquired, smiling at Hilde, "It's unlike you to sport company."  
Duo just laughed."I owe the girl a favor, her name is Hilde. We need a way to checkpoint 1-6-0."  
  
*_ Maybe it will turn out fine, yeah, so I'm sure that it will turn out fine,  
Your chance is right in front of you. *  
_

"That old place...been abandoned for quite some time..." Stan murmured, brushing his bearded chin with his thick fingers, contemplating what Duo could possibly want to go there for, "Shame how those good people died, I tell you Duo-"  
Hilde's droopy eyes lifted curiously as Duo cut Stan off with more laughter. He further interrupted Stan's gossip with a speedy response and very noticeable 'save it for later' look that Duo Maxwell was very well renowned for.  
"That's because the _grand-daughter_ who inherited it has been missing and was dropped off at the wrong sector of the colony!" Duo said humorously, nodding his head toward Hilde.  
"So I see," Stan murmured, taking the hint, "Well, Duo, we'll do anything to help you out. First thing in the morning, we'll set you out with a truck to carry your gundam."  
"Thanks, I owe ya'," Duo grinned, "but isn't there a way we could head off sooner...?"  
"Good heavens', Maxwell, it's 11:00 at night!!" Stan exclaimed.  
"That late?! Already?" Hilde yawned.  
"Yeah, stay the night with us, we'll find a place for you guys. While we clean up, why don't you guy's clean yourselves up? I've got a couple of big T-shirts that you can borrow to sleep in..."  
Hilde looked at Duo questioningly and he just grabbed one of the shirts Stan offered for his German friend as he ushered Hilde into one of the bathrooms, "You first, babe." Duo chided playfully, "Try not to slip into the drain, you skinny little thing!"  
In spite of her tiredness, Hilde snickered at Duo's lame joke. She had been wanting a good bath for _quite_ some time now...  
  
_ * It's fine, it's sure to be O.K.! _ *

As it turned out, it didn't take them long at all to clear off a place to sleep. Hilde would get the couch, and Duo would take a pallet on the floor. Now, both of the men sat themselves down on the couch and, as usual, Duo was the one to break the silence.  
"You gotta medic up at this hour?" Duo questioned.  
Stan glanced over at Duo and gruffly chuckled. "We can get one up, I noticed that hobble."  
"Yeah I don't think that it's broken, but I wanna check it out. Besides that, she's got several scars and bruises that haven't been treated, and she's been wandering on the streets for a while now."  
"What got her?" Stan inquired.  
"What d'ya think got her?" Duo responded in his, 'you should know better than that voices'. "And if you can't guess, I'll give ya' a hint, she was on the worst sector of L 2 -"  
"I'll get some one right away." Stan interrupted. He was too tired to hear any story that would make him sad and keep him from sleeping, and although he was dying to know what this girl did for Duo to make him want to help her so much, he simply figured that he'd catch Duo later on it.  
As Stan stood up, Duo pulled him back down, "Wait a sec, Stan. Let's wait until she's asleep. I don't think she wants people poking around on it, especially when she's so tired. Bring 'em in when I get out of the shower. By then, she should be fast asleep....Of course, that's assuming that she comes out!" Duo laughed, "She's been in there for nearly an hour now!"  
Stan let lose another series of bellowous guffaws. "Reckon that legs slowing her up that bad?"  
Duo chuckled, "Either that or she fell asleep in there."  
"Nah." Stan replied, "I think it's because she's a woman, and they ALWAYS like to take their time."  
Duo just grinned, "Probably."  
Hilde chose just that moment to limp out of the bathroom.  
"There you are sleepy-head." Duo kidded, "I thought that you may have drowned."  
"Huh?" Hilde asked, so tired that her hobble was even more unsteady than usual. Stan directed Hilde to her temporary bed, and Duo wasn't sure if she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow or before it did. Either way it went, it was funny.

* _You're always so full of dreams,don't worry about anything.  
It doesn't matter if they don't come true.... _*  
  
"So Duo," Stan teased as he tossed the pilot an old shirt that was plastered with a rather large image of the cookie monster, "How long are you going to take?"  
Duo ignored his taunting and grimaced at the cheery resident of _Sesame Street_.  
"What the hell is this?!" He asked skeptically.  
"What, can't a man have his role models?"  
"Sweet Jesus!" Duo exclaimed, "The _cookie monster_!"  
"Yo, man, you dissin' the cookie man?"  
"Just get the medic!" Duo cried out as he fled to the bathroom.  


* _Everything's perfectly O.K.! _*

Now that Duo was cleansed, everyone was ready to give Hilde her check-up. After giving her a little shot to keep her asleep, Stan, Duo, and Stan's medical pal, Barney, took a look at Hilde's leg.  
Since Hilde was just wearing a big shirt as pajamas, Barney was easily able to check out her leg, rubbing a large bump over her knee. An odd sensation crept over Duo, and he involuntarily clenched his fist. It was nothing that the Shinigami could have recognized, after all, things like jealously rarely found their way onto the battlefield...  
"Ah-ha!" Barney exclaimed, "Feel that Duo?" he questioned, directing Duo's hand onto the large bump and onto the soft skin...  
So...so...soft....  
'STOP IT!' Duo practically screamed at himself, snatching his hand back. 'Remember Solo, Father Maxwell, and Sister Helen! Don't you DARE get attached to anyone else!Never again!'  
"Yup! Tough little cookie, she's got the endurance of her pep-paw, that's for sure! Just dislocated her bone, but that's nothing modern medicine can't heal up quickly!We'll just pop the joint in place, inject this medicine, and cast it up for a bit..."  
Duo ignored the crackling of bone settling back into socket as best he could and occupied himself with dressing the smaller wounds. When all was done, Duo felt more at ease (with the exception of the grinning Cookie Monster on his chest!) and fell straight to sleep....

* _You're always so full of dreams...don't worry about anything..._ *  
  
Hilde awoke the next morning, feeling much stiffer than usual. As she stretched, she realized that her leg, didn't hurt anymore...  
Reaching forward to pull back the covers that caked her leg, she stopped to gaze at her arms, which looked like a patchwork quilt! Rubbing her hand on her face, it also dawned on her that those cuts and bumps there had been covered! Thrusting back the blankets, it became apparent that her leg had not been wrapped up with sheets, but a cast. She threw an accusing look at the snoring Duo, who slumbered rather noisily in a cot on the floor.  
"G' morning, Miss Hilde." A voice greeted her. Turning behind her, Hilde saw a rather elderly woman with weeping red eyes.  
"Hello, good morning ma'am." Hilde said politely, wondering all the while how this sad woman knew her name...  
"These belong to you, now." She said, relinquishing a small pile of assorted clothing, "You look so much like your grandmother...when she was younger...."  
Hilde starred at the pile, somewhat confused. When she turned to thank and question the woman, she noticed that she had disappeared...  
"I- don't understand..." Hilde murmured, as she silently tip-toed off to change...

* _Ride the wave you've been waiting for... _*

Duo Maxwell awoke as he often did, with a dry mouth and very, very hungry.   
And right now, he smelt something very, very good... the tantalizing smell of bacon and eggs.... Following the tantalizing aroma to the kitchen, Duo saw none other than Stan and all his pals beaming over a meal that Hilde herself was cooking...   
She was garbed with that huge sweater that still teased Duo's sense of style with women's clothes, a clean pair of black leggings, and a long scrunched pair of yellow socks that were fitted by some odd, but cute pair of shoes. Hilde also sported a red beret that made Duo smile a little. Though the look was comical, it was strangely comforting.   
Hilde gazed up at Duo and grinned broadly, "A lady said that they belonged to my grandmother," she said, motioning toward all the odd little garments Duo had just taken notice of, "Can't you believe they knew her?!"  
Duo just laughed as Hilde offered Duo a plate of breakfast that he rushed to. But as he reached for it, Hilde moved it to the side, taking advantage of the situation to get back at Duo for teasing her last night...  
"When did the God of Death start dressing in _Sesame Street_ nightgowns?"  
All the men laughed as Duo sulked out of the room and changed back into his black preacher outfit. He strolled back into the room and snatched the plate from Hilde who still held back some laughter, and just before he started his meal, he stuck out his tongue to Hilde, who promptly returned the gesture.  
As it turned out, Hilde was a terrific cook. It turned out that homemade food _could_ be better than fast food, something that Duo had previously thought impossible. It can even be safely assumed that Duo would admit his true love for Hilde's cooking rather than Hilde herself at this point. After everyone had enjoyed their meal, Duo and Hilde packed up and said their goodbyes...  
  



	4. Neverending Story Chapter 4: Bloodstains...

Wow! These stories just get longer and longer! But I can't help it! And there will be MUCH more to read when I finish it. So anyway,this story really focuses on Hilde's past and it won't be the first to do so. As I go along, you'll find out more and more about it. In order to make up for all the seriousness, I put in a lot of funny parts. But some of the things that may confuse you about this story would be the flashbacks and the German. I put some of language in there, but at some point in the story I tell you what she's saying. If it is set off like (::blah blah::) Then it's the translation. Flashbacks are usually set off by four stars/asterisks, whatever you call them. Enjoy!

Chapter four: _The Never Ending Story_  
**Bloodstains and Traitors...**  
  
As it turned out, the short journey back to Hilde's house was far more awkward and painful than she'd ever thought. In fact she hadn't even thought that it would bother her at all but it seemed that meeting that sad old woman arose her curiosity to such a degree that she often found herself strolling down memory lane...  
As a matter of fact, every corner Duo directed the car, every street-sign he checked, and every pothole he found sent recollections, both bitter and sweet, racing through Hilde. She remembered every detail, how could she forget? They were fingerprinted in her mind intimately, without gap.  
Why, just over there was the park that she used to play frisbee in with her old puppy! He was the most adorable beagle the colony had ever known! Little Hilde had called that dog every baby name in the world, and rarely thought to call it by it's actual name. 'Booga boo', snookie wookie,' 'pooga booga,' 'spooky pookie,' 'snook-ums,' 'sweet-pea,' ect, ect. The entire name game aggravated her grandparents so much because it confused the puppy to such an extent that it never knew which name to respond to and they never knew which one to call him. (Which was Binky.) She still missed that precious angel to this very day. She had taught him how to count, fetch, and sit all by herself!  
...........Damn that military truck! They ran over it on purpose, she just knew it!   
To the left of Giesman Park was a candy store her grandfather always took her when he got paid. Even now, the memory of those Milka Alpenmilch bars, her very favorite brand of German chocolate, excited Hilde! They were always the very first things that she ran for! One time, Mr. Gellison, the storekeeper, removed all the chocolate bars from the shelf to trick Hilde on April Fool's day. Hilde smiled at the event that had upset her so much so long ago. As soon as she saw that empty space on the shelf and the full grin on Mr. Gellison's face, she waged a ten minute war against him to relinquish the concealed goods. However, when he didn't give them up after ten minutes, she began to believe his story about the nasty cootie boys stealing away all the precious chocolate bars to feed to the toads in their pockets. Hilde had just started to cry when Mr. Gellison revealed the 'one last bar' that he saved from the starving toads. He even gave it to her that day for free...well sort of. He insisted that she kiss his cheek for the daring rescue. And Hilde did, happy to have her Milka Alpenmilch bar. Good old Mr. Gellison....he died in a car crash a bit before she left to fight. The police report said that he fell asleep at the wheel...  
They pulled into the driveway when Duo tapped her on the shoulder, bolting her back to reality.  
"Oh we're here!" Hilde exclaimed, "Wait here while I unlock the door, Duo!" she instructed as she jumped out of the truck. However, as soon as the German girl's feet hit the pavement, a shocking sensation of foreboding covered her and it even took Hilde a minute to find the right key. The feeling was so potently compelling that she couldn't completely shake it off. This morbid emotion disturbed her so greatly that she couldn't even fit the key into the keyhole. It just wouldn't dissipate! The emotions were so pungent in this air that her lungs painfully heaved with the effort to breathe the poignant form of oxygen and her mind thought frantically of ways to escape it before she suffocated on the soggy sadness that enveloped her.  
All Hilde could think about was death, sorrow, and grief.   
More specifically, the death of her parents and mysterious deaths of her grandparents....  
She still remembered the day her grandmother pulled her aside. To that tree, the oak tree by the driveway. She concealed the gloomy subject with a glass of lemonade and cookies. Catered treats were a common sign of a touchy subject at this household. Hilde was only 11, but she knew something was up.....and if something wasn't up, she definitely intended to bring it up!

* * * *  
"What's wrong, grandma?" Hilde asked dully, not paying any attention to the chocolate chip cookies or lemonade.  
It was hot outside, and she pushed herself feverently on the tire swing to relive herself with the tiny wisps of air.  
Her grandmother was a bit nervous. That old lemonade and cookies trick that had worked so well on chibi Hilde was not so effective anymore....  
"How...are you doing, hun? You haven't talked nearly as much ever since ...ever since the scrapbook.... Your grandpa and I are a little worried-"  
The tire swing stopped so suddenly that Mrs. Schbeiker jumped. She stared into her grand-daughters' eyes as they slowly became more visible through the clouds of chalky dust.  
"What happened to them grandma?" Hilde asked bluntly.  
"Who?...... What are you talking about Hilde?" Her grandma feigned a bit of laughter.  
Hilde only answered by swinging harder and ignoring her grandmother's presence. This would have to be where the fairy tale ended. She'd been told that her parents were on earth waiting for a shuttle. How they got there and why they'd been there so long without writing were questions her grandparents never answered with anything except the junkfood. And Hilde had quite simply had her fill of these sweets. Yesterday she'd seen how happy and young her parents looked in that scrap book...and she'd seen that article they tried to flip past.  
An article about the death of traitors.  
Her grandmother finally relieved herself of the burdensome trinkets of happiness. She placed her laughter, cookies, and lemonade aside.   
"Alright, Hilde. I'm an open book....What do you wanna know?"  
That was exactly what Hilde wanted. She jumped straight down and left the tire thrashing crazily in mid-air. Sitting down beside her grandmother, she asked those questions that had been searing in her childish mind for _years_.   
"What happened to them? How did they die? Who killed them?"

* * * *   
  
With her mind on past memories, her hand was just fumbling around the keyhole. She didn't know how long it had been that she'd been trying to open this door, but she knew it had been quite long enough!  
"VERDAMMT!!!" Hilde swore, her native tongue taking over. She was _really _starting to get mad now. She focused on blocking that damn feeling and the haunting memories and concentrated on opening the door with angry and nervously shaking hands. She just about completely forgot about the mischievous Duo Maxwell...

* * * *  
Duo hopped out and smiled . He _had _waited a minute for Hilde to unlock the garage door so that they could drive the gundam in, but after she fumbled and cursed for about 5 minutes, Duo figured that he'd have _plenty _of time to look around....  
Strolling over to the front of the house, he took in a deep breath to become more familiar with this strange atmosphere. Clean air....peaceful ambience....fresh flowers...Hilde still swearing at the door and not paying any attention to him...  
Nope, couldn't take too much more of this!  
The braided boy coughed loud and hard.  
"AH-HACK .....AH-HACK...AH-HACK-HACK-HACK!!!!" Setting his eyes on Hilde to see if that caught her attention, he was disappointed to find that she was _still_ occupied with that damn door.   
Duo felt _soooo_ neglected.   
All that fake coughing for nothing! He couldn't stand to not be the center of attention....plus she looked upset. He couldn't have that...  
As he fumbled through his thoughts, he returned his gaze to the bright flowers. Just why _were_ they there anyway? Duo could think of too many more useful things to put on a piece of land.  
" Ooooo," he cooed as he stared at the smiling blossoms, " they planted pink flowers, and yellow flowers, and purple flowers....very nice. Very color coordinated, so girly........._**ick**_! Maybe we should get, a dog.....ya' know.....one with LOTS of drool- droolies are so cute--and he can dig up all those weak little pansy flowers......"  
Suddenly, Duo stopped, a terrific idea coming to mind.....his eyes and smile beamed as brightly as if a 100 watt light bulb floated over his head, and he triumphantly placed his hands on his hips as he announced his terrific vision...... A vision that must be shared!!!

* * * *

Hilde had been swearing at this lock for over 15 minutes now, and was really getting fed up. And why wouldn't this damn distracting feeling go away! She turned and slapped her forehead, and it was then that she noticed Duo's antics. (What was that goofy boy doing out of the truck anyway, he was supposed to be ready to drive it in when she _finally_ unlocked the door!!) Of course, right now she was so mad that she didn't even care, and he would have completely lost her attention if she hadn't caught something to the effect of drool digging up her precious flower garden that her grandmother planted for her.......  
And then, he crossed the line.  
He announced a proclamation of such absurdity that Hilde nearly fell over with dismay....  
"And Hilde....._That's_ where we'll bury the bodies!!!!!" the braided wonder declared.  
Silence.  
Hilde, still frozen in place, twitched slightly as she tried arduously to restrain the urge to shove his body into that cursed keyhole and see if _that_ might pry the fucking door open....  
Just what did he say that he was planning on doing to her garden?! A graveyard?! Right now this..this..._infidel_ stood on her front lawn with his hands on his hips and the most adorable grin on his face that was lit by his own sheer admiration of his own quick thinking and the idea of replacing her precious flowers with a cemetary of his own!!!  
Duo noticed the bewildered look on his friend's face, and--thrilled that he finally had her attention--pulled her over to his spot on the lawn, arm around her shoulder as he directed her gaze to each plot of land.   
"Ya' see, babe," Duo spoke in his visionary voice, "We'll put Tuberov where those pink posies are..."  
"Those are red tulips, Duo..." Hilde patiently corrected.  
"...and we'll let those really ugly weeds grow there instead...you know, the ones with the thorns?...."  
"Thistles?" she inquired.  
".... Oh!" Duo continued without second thought to Hilde's interruptions, " And Professor G can go there; where those yellow flowers are..."  
"Duo!" Hilde giggled, "Those are buttercups!"  
"Yeah, yeah, tulips!I knew they looked familiar, but anyways, we'll let poison ivy grow there! Geez! 'Wanna pilot a Gundam, Duo?' he says, 'It'll be loads of fun, you can kill people and never get caught....' " Duo paused his impersonation of the insane scientist for dramatic effect as he let out an evil chuckle, "His death WILL NOT be pretty..........................."  
Hilde was drowning in her own laughter now. Duo was thrilled to have the attention as he continued describing his cementary.  
"Oh!Hey, we've got a spot left over there for one more right by those funny looking white ones with the stupid little thin petals..."  
"Daisies!" Hilde nearly exploded with laughter at Duo's painfully lacking botanical knowledge.  
"...Ya wanna do the honors, doll?" he offered, " Go on and pick the next grave!"  
By now, Hilde had forgotten all about the key. Right now the only things that weighed her down were Duo's arm and that laughter that she couldn't stop.  
"Oh, I don't know right now, Duo." Hilde grinned.  
"Alright, babe, but beware!" Duo pronounced as loudly as a trumpet, "With the God of Death around, that plot isn't likely to be vacant for long!"  
"You're so silly, Duo!"  
"Silly, eh? Well, I'm about to prove to you that silly people have talent?!"  
Hilde giggled, "How?"  
"Like _this!_" Duo exclaimed, snatching Hilde's key and fleeing to the door before she could catch up. He unlocked it easily and quickly pushed the buttons to make it open up just wide enough to fit in the truck. He fled to the driver's seat, and Hilde pouted at the door when she missed him.  
Duo laughed and stuck out his tongue as he rolled down the window. "Come on, babe! Ya' ain't gonna take your time getting back in like ya' did unlocking the door, are you?"  
Hilde just grinned, "I'll walk in Duo."   
"Like hell you will! What if I run you over, you're so damn small it would be impossible to see you!"  
"Bastard!" Hilde laughed.  
"Ya' have until I count to 10. And I will warn you that the God of Death tends to skip _several _important numbers while counting....."  
"Uh-huh" Hilde said, unimpressed.  
" 1 hippotamus..."  
"Duo, just what _are _you going to do when you get to 10?"  
"2 hippotamus..."  
"Duo! Answer me!"  
"3 hippotamus..."  
"Stop wasting time and just drive Duo!"  
"4 hippotamus..."  
"I can't believe you... This is so immature!"  
"5 hippotamus..."  
"Wann fangt die Show an?" Hilde sighed.  
"6 hippotamus..."  
" Sieben katze, acht hund, neun vogel....."  
"7 hippotamus..."  
"Oh, out with it Maxwell!"  
"8-9-10 hippotamus!!!" Duo finally exclaimed, thrusting open the door and leaping forward out of the truck to grab Hilde before she even had time to move. Without hesitation, he thrust her over his shoulder and calmly stepped back to his ajar door. Tossing her into the passenger seat, he started the engine and drove on in without further delay...  
Hilde sat somewhat awed. It seemed like just three seconds ago she was standing outside the door waiting for Duo to do something........he was a fast little turkey. She had to admit that she had not seen that coming.   
He parked the truck and grinned triumphantly at Hilde.  
"Do you want me to take you out of the car,too, or what?"  
Hilde smirked at him and opened up the door herself as he laughed.  
_Stuffy...it's too stuffy In here. Something's wrong.....  
_More morbid sensations catapulted themselves onto Hilde. She rocked with the impact....  
_Why? Why? What is this?-------  
_She suddenly realized that Duo was standing in front of her, and he had apparently been talking. She didn't know what he was talking about, but she squeezed a smile onto her face so that he wouldn't think that something was wrong.  
_But something is wrong....Terribly wrong!  
_But what?   
** * * *

"HA-HA! And you looked just like this...." Duo snickered as he mimicked the exact look Hilde had on her face as he finished telling her the story. "But anyways, babe....what were you saying?"  
Silence. No answer.  
Duo waved a hand in front of her face.  
Nothing.  
He ruffled her hair.  
That did it.  
"Ah! Duo! What was that for?!"  
"Tell me what you were saying in German?"  
"Eh?"  
"Ya' know! Back when I was counting! What were you saying? Weren't you paying _any_ attention to me?" Duo sulked.  
"Oh! Yes! You mean 'Wann fangt die Show an?' and 'Sieben katze, acht hund, neun vogel.....'"  
"Yeah, I think that's it."  
Hilde smiled slyly. "Nothing too much. It was all just unsinn und quatsh!!!"  
"That's it!" Duo exclaimed, as he began the chase. After 5 minutes of fleeing, he caught her and pinned her to the back of the truck. Then Duo began to tickle her until she gave up....  
"Onkel!! Onkel!!" she shrieked.  
"What'd ya' say about by mamma!?" Duo teased, wanting to understand the words of surrender in his native language.  
"Niet! Niet! Uncle! Uncle! I give!"  
"So what were you saying?"  
Hilde caught her breath first, and then began her summarization,"Well, 'Wann fangt die Show an?' means ,'when does the show begin?' and 'Sieben katze, acht hund, neun vogel.....' just means '7 cat, 8 dog, and 9 bird.' I was messing with your counting."  
"So what about that other thing? The ' un sin undqua-tsh' thing and 'uhn-kel'?" Duo inquired badly quoting.  
Hilde patiently corrected him, "'Unsinn und quatsh' . I was saying that what I said earlier was all just nonsense and rubbish. 'Onkel' means 'Uncle'."  
"Ahhh." Duo said, "I was worried that you might be calling me dirty names."  
"No!" Hilde exclaimed as she shut the garage door, "Just this door!"  
So, babe." Duo began, "Where do you want him?"  
Hilde smiled at the Gundam," Let's just put him against that empty wall for right now."  
"Alrighty!" Duo complied, bolting for the Gundam and leaving Hilde alone with her memories again.  
  
* * * *  
  
Her grandmother sighed deeply as the wind swept away a strand of her gray hair. Quickly, she tucked the rebellious lock back into place behind her ear.  
"Your parents... Oui Hilde! Their hearts were in the right place, but they chose the wrong time to fight... It was shortly after the assacination of Heero Yuy. They protested everything and tried to rally people together. But the people were afraid. They just wanted peace by submission and didn't understand your parents. You were only 5 then, about to turn 6. I'm certain that you remember. Your parents protesting got more desperate, and so did the people's desire for them to sein leise. (::be quiet::)"  
Silence prevailed for a while as Hilde awaited her grandmother to compose herself. The crickets screamed loudly as the sun sunk out of sight.  
Finally, she began to speak again.  
"People always fear what they do not understand. Hilde, you must never be like those people. Listen to _both _sides of the story. Those people were the very same people that your parents worked with EVERY DAY. The same people that they invited over for supper and the same people that they shared Christmas with. And....fear manipulated them as a puppet!"  
The sobs flowed freely from the elderly woman before Hilde now. There was no restraint. She gathered the girl into her arms now to ease her heart's sorrow over the loss of her only son. To comfort it with the gained treasure, Hilde.  
"To prove their loyalty to the angered officials of the Earth Sphere Alliance, they declared that they themselves would punish the traitors. It was der zehnte Juli(:: July tenth.::) You were at school. Your grandfather got some inside information about the attack earlier, and I went there as quickly as possible....."  


    _How did he get inside information like that? We were at the north western sector of L-2 , whereas they were on the south eastern sector....._
".....It was too late for them. But I could get you, you were still safe, thank God!That's why I made you lie down in the back-seat. They wanted the traitor's child, too!!"  
"Grandma! How were they killed!"  
"Oh! Do you have to know everything!"  
"Ja! Ja! Konnen sie mir sagen!" (::Yes!Yes! Tell me!::)  
"They were beaten so badly that I didn't believe it was them! Their eyes were empty and wide, their mouths still bled......the bodies were so broken that they were literally crumpled on the floor together...They had no form!! I can't tell you anymore!!!Oh, leave it at this, Hilde, and just keep living!!! What is done is done!!!! LET IT BE!!!!!"  
Hilde closed her eyes at the thought, and flung them open again as a different person. The urge to fight and streaks of retaliation flamed in her eyes as vibrantly as a lightening bolt through an opaque sky.  
_No more...........nie mehr!!! (::Never more!!!::)_

* * * *

  
Duo abandoned the Gundam and landed with a big 'boom' next to Hilde, who practically jumped straight out of her skin.  
"Shit! You scared the hell out of me!"  
"My bad!" Duo exclaimed. "But I got a question for you."  
"What is it?"  
"Well, we're both pretty broke. And I was just kinda wondering what we were gonna do about money..."  
"Oh, that's easy!" Hilde replied, "I can run the business again. We won't get too much, but it'll be enough to pay the bills and buy food-"  
"Puh-lease! You can't run this business at 15! And they're saving up the good junk now for the war effort!"  
"And you, the 15 year old gundam pilot, have a right to talk?" Hilde interjected.  
"Well, you may have me there, but I still don't think that it'll work."  
"I could make it work!" Hilde objected, "and I may even be able to figure out how to order parts for your gundam in the process without getting caught!"  
"Babe, if you can do all that, then I'm the God of Love."  
"Well, then here's a pink cloth to make your outfit!!!" Hilde exclaimed, charging at Duo with a greasy pink towel .  
"Yipe!" Duo cried out as the towel struck him. As it turned out, Hilde could be deadly with a towel. That nasty rose hued cloth hurt a lot more than Duo would have ever suspected.  
"Down, babe! Down!" Duo hollered from the top of some crates that he scrambled on. "We can give it a try!! Just put that damn thing away! Shit you're bound to beat some of the girly color in my manly black suit....."  
Hilde shrieked triumphantly, throwing away the towel.  
Duo limped like a wounded animal, his pride torn to shreds after the loss to the vicious pink drying cloth. "Well, what are we going to do about food until we get money?" he moaned, overexaggerating about his wounds as usual.  
"I don't know."  
"Well, if worst comes to worst, I could be a professional assassin...."  
Hilde pinched Duo playfully as they headed up the stairs to the house door.   
"Yeow!" he winced.  
"Duo!" Hilde gasped suddenly, throwing her hand over her mouth, "I know what we could do!"  
"Eh?"  
"Instead of being an assassin, you could be a stand up comedian!"  
Duo's eyes narrowed like a lion on the hunt.  
"You could bring back all the food people throw at you for us to eat!"  
"RAHHH!" Duo bellowed.  
Hilde shrieked and rushed to the door, but Duo held her fast.  
"I'll show you funny!" Duo exclaimed, tickling Hilde again, "Take it back! My jokes are very funny, and tomatoes would make my hair sticky!"  
"Ok!Ok! I take it back!" Hilde cried with laughter.  
The two stumbled into the house door when everything fell silent.  
It would appear that a small and unruly cyclone had formed in her house and swept everything that hung on the wall or sat high on a shelf down to the disrupted floor, which was feral and as unkempt as an unattended horse's stable. The bookcase was thrown over, the cushions of the couch were ripped, and the family pictures were thrown around like frisbees. Some rowdy and impetuous crowd had succeeded in shattering everything that was once so orderly, and dispite her turmoil, Hilde was actually grateful that her Grandmother wasn't alive to see this nasty and sloppy shrine to hasty descisions and ignorance created by its most devout followers...   
Hilde could no longer stand, and without even realizing it, she fell to her knees. Noticing a familiar 12 by 12 frame, she pulled it over and tried to piece together a torn picture of her grandparents. Their brilliant smiling faces were tattooed shamelessly with a word that never left her.  
A word that stained her family.  
"Traitor."  
Hilde gazed at it in utter disbelief, confused and mortified. How? Oh, why! She was fighting to protect them and their home! She never wanted this! Never! She abruptly shut her eyes to blot out the image of the demolished home. No, no, niet, niet! Her grandmother would never leave her house in such dismay and botched with such violence!She'd open her eyes and find it was another dream.....  
Instead of seeing a chaotic mess, she found a pair of cobalt blue eyes...  
Beautiful blue orbs that were streaked with erotic scribbles of violet and right now they were such a dark purple that those streaks looked like dried blood, scratched on the surface of an otherwise innocent and pure blue. The violet bolts were so intricate that they could even be described as veins that formed several tangled images.... Now Duo's eyes did not shine at all. They were blunt and arid and Hilde was desperate to make him blink and wash away that dried blood and the crooked pictures that he revealed to her in that intense glare...She covered his eyes with her hand and pushed his eyelids shut In fact- the movement guised in such a manner that it appeared she was just pushing his face away.  
But her caught her again in that mesmerizing gaze ....and the outlines imprinted themselves again on the otherwise human eyes. It was an image that Hilde could not yet distinguish and Duo could not overlook. Three bodies, three lost souls....  
"Hilde, are you OK?" The Shinigami asked gruffly angered by this scene.  
"I-I'm fine..I just don't understand...."  
"How long have you lived here?"  
"Ever since I was about 6."  
"Ha. They were good. Real good."  
"What are you talking about?" Hilde asked, not at all intimidated by the darker side of Duo.  
"They were sweepers. And this place was a checkpoint for 'traitors.' I bet you had a lot of new guests at this house didn't you? They were using this place as a safe haven."  
Hilde was mortified that she hadn't figured it out herself. This explained how her grandparents knew about her parents predicament, all the hacking skills her grandfather taught her, all those guests.....why they didn't want her to fight.  
"I guess that you can figure that they didn't die of natural causes." he grunted.  
Hilde stood up, stronger again. Now was not the time for mourning. Too many people had died by the same cause and for the same stupid reason to bother mourning. And both times...both times Hilde escaped death for treachery that they were caught in. Well, now she knew something she hadn't known before. Now she knew what treachery was. And the truth was, they, her family, were never the traitors. The very homes they fought for that condemned them were the traitors! Hell, the colonies were, too! Backstabbers! All of them! But...despite this feeling of abandonment, she still had to fight. Somehow....someway....There had to be something left in the colonies to protect. Some piece of home... Something to defend.  
She looked at the Shinigami blankly, her feelings written on her eyes as well. A bleached sapphire that was scrawled with frosty sparks of lightning...  
The God of Death smiled. Finally, he found someone that could meet his gaze and be strengthened by it.  
Death can only be embraced and loved by Death itself. Had he found another form of death?   



	5. Neverending Story Chapter 5: Infatuation...

  
Chapter five: _The Never Ending Story_  
**Infatuation Hidden in the Closet...**

Hilde sighed as the pain in her leg began to throb again. Pausing temporarily from her tedious cleaning duty, the woman leaned on the counter wearily. The house had been vacuumed numerous times, and she'd thrown away so much she could swear that there had to be a little piece of herself in those bags that she was ousting outdoors. But the floors and shelves just wouldn't come clean. In fact, it seemed they would be forever stained.  
_"_Boy, am I getting melodramatic or what?_" _ Hilde moaned in such a low voice that it sang harmoniously with the growling of her stomach. It was 3:48 now, and she'd been cleaning ever since about 9:00. What wouldn't she do for a nice meal.....  
The dancing potatoes and steaks in her brief daydream dashed behind the curtain as their performance was rudely interrupted by a certain braided boy's mocking shouts to a certain piece of junk...  
**"OW! FUCKING SHIT! THROW YOUR GOD DAMN ASS ON MY HEAD ONE MORE TIME YA' SOGGY LIMP ASS DONKEY DICK!!!!!!!"  
**Hilde gasped at that one. It wasn't necessarily the fact that he was cursing that surprised her. Why, she'd heard that constantly ever since they'd started cleaning. It was just that this new phrase was a bit...extreme. Duo's shouts were so loud and vivid that Hilde didn't have to run in there to check on him. She knew exactly what was happening to the poor mistreated pilot. The root of Duo's anger was a crowbar about 12 inches long and 3 pounds. This 'troublemaker' was dull silver and kept falling on his head. (Probably because a certain brunette American kept putting it back in the same unsturdy place...) Either way it meant, Hilde had to admit that Duo had _the _most colorful vocabulary she'd ever heard. He didn't like to leave out one detail when it came to telling junk off.   
It was incidents like this that led Hilde to believe that she should be in there hiding the gundam with walls of junk. But Duo grabbed that job as soon as Hilde thought about OZ wanting to search this house and question her purpose for living here again. After all, it only made sense that when they got word that she, _a traitor_, was re-opening her _treacherous _ grandparents business it would a short while before the pesky organization knocked on her door. Fortunately, Duo and Hilde still had one life-line left. There was a chance that OZ wouldn't consider her a big enough problem to bother with a full blown investigation, so Hilde just suggested that they try to cover Deathscythe Hell with junk. Right now they were more concerned about the Sanc Kingdom. As long as it was thriving and promoting pacifism, OZ's military power and goals were under siege. Hilde herself was about to be transferred from Oz's space forces to it's Earth forces to destroy the Sanc Kingdom. At the time it excited her because she'd never been to Earth. Now..... it just shamed her.  
Hilde moved back into her own battlefield again as Duo continued to wage his own with the cascading junk. His flamboyant diction was so rampant that the German girl had to wonder what her grandparents would say if they were still alive and knew that Hilde had just invited a Gundam pilot to live with her! And in this mess of a house with absolutely no money!   
She laughed at the thought of their faces as she knelt over a step to pickup some fragment of an old porcelain doll. It was then that her memory was jogged...  
Out of the corner of her eye she saw it... A keyhole that unlocked the family's hidden safe. It was under the third step of the staircase, a pretty good hiding place her grandfather decided to make to store valuables, and special documents, and....  
"_ Money!....... The spare money!" _Hilde exclaimed as she pushed all the fragmented objects aside and strained to open the step. This was just what she and Duo needed! But Hilde just wasn't strong enough to open it without the key! And her grandparents never told her where it was!  
"_VERDAMNT!" _ Hilde cursed, banging her fist on the step. "**_DUO!!!!!!"_** She screamed, "_**DUO!!! HURRY UP!!!!!!!"**_   
Footsteps were instantly heard as Duo bolted through the door to check on Hilde.  
Her mouth dropped open just about as fast...  
The American seemed to have misplaced half of his black priest outfit and the white shirt underneath it, leaving him shirt-less. His body, surprisingly well tanned and _very_ well toned was caked with grease and dust. Not even his braid, which was looser, went untainted from the black goo. His cobalt blue eyes were wider than usual as he scanned the perimeter for danger, gun in hand. Only when Duo was convinced that there was no threat did he allow the gun to slide out of his hand and into his oversized pocket.  
He also noticed the peculiar look Hilde was giving him...  
"Oh!" Duo exclaimed as he scratched the back of his neck nervously, "Oops...uh, sorry about that....... Kinda hot in there..."  
'_God, he's gorgeous!' _Hilde thought, putting her jaw back in place and _trying_ to remember why she called him in here.  
"Whad 'ja need, babe?"  
'_Oh.....he just called me babe again... with his shirt off!'   
"_ YO_, Hilde!_"  
"Huh? Oh!" Hilde removed herself from her daze and decided that the only way to remember why he was in here was to not look at him...and she literally did have to pry her eyes off of him.  
"I.... I just remembered that my grandparent hid some money and valuables in a safe below this step. I can't open it since they hid the key but maybe you could..."  
Duo smirked at the idea of Hilde asking him to pop open a step for some money when he had his shirt off. The little minx. He had to admit that she had good timing. But he'd just have to make a mental note that later on he'd have the right to enjoy a free show like the one he was going to give her... Heh heh heh. >:)  
"Allrighty, let's take a looksie." Duo said, leaning over to the step. He tested the strength a bit first. He smiled over at Hilde.  
"Well, babe. I'm pleased to say that if there is a thing called luck, we finally seem to be experiencing it! Your grandfather didn't put a strong lock here, probably because it's so well hidden."  
"So you can open it!" Hilde asked happily.  
"Hilde, I am _positive_ that I can open this with a........" Duo temporarily paused at the sheer irony, ".....crowbar." he muttered.  
Though Hilde didn't hear what he'd said she grinned because she knew exactly what he was talking about.  
"I'll go get it! You've got it on the box labeled 'nails' right? It's about 12 inches long and three pounds, somewhat rusted."  
"Yeah!" Duo exclaimed, "How'd ya' know?!"  
"Who _wouldn't _know with how loud you were yelling!"  
Duo laughed in spite of himself as Hilde ran off. As she turned, he got a good view of just how big that sweater was. '_Damn.'_ Duo cursed to himself. '_Why in the hell didn't I take my time to try and find something at least a little bit tighter so I could see some jiggling! This is sooooo unfair!_'  
As Hilde jogged off to retrieve the infamous crowbar, she couldn't help but to feel a bit sad. Now that she was taking the crowbar out of the garage, it was going to be pretty quiet around here...  
She hurried back to Duo, who was waiting eagerly for the crowbar. Hilde handed to Duo somewhat reluctantly, wanting to just keep him there like that as long as possible.   
Duo just grinned as he placed the crowbar under the lock.   
"So I don't have to tell you how much pain this thing has put me through then? What a shame. I was going to talk about that over dinner. But don't you worry babe!" Duo half-grunted as he began to try and pry the step open, " I'm _certain_ that I can think of something to talk about! After all, I'm Duo and I've been known to talk without pause in my sleep! But anyways, speaking of dinner, puh-lease tell me we're having it! I am soooooo vanished! I want a steak- big, thick, and juicy, just _oozing_ with seasoning- and po-taters! Lot's of 'taters! With some corn, and garlic bread......but most importantly- the steak and 'taters!!!!..."  
As appealing as Duo's dream dinner sounded to Hilde, she was a bit preoccupied watching a dream of her own as he tried to pry the lock lose. Damn, but he was strong for a fifteen year old! Now Hilde had never been the kind of girl to ogle at any man, but she had to question if any woman would be capable of _not_ ogling at Duo! As he leaned over and heaved, still grinning ear to ear at the thought of his dream meal, Hilde couldn't help but to notice that his ass looked like two ripened grapefruits under a sheet...... _Verdamnt_! She loved grapefruit and she just wanted to squeeze the hell out of each bun...  
...Did she really just think that? And was that drool coming out of her mouth? Hilde turned beet red and brushed it away quickly, just as Duo turned around with his proud announcement.  
"Done!"  
He opened the staircase quickly as Hilde knelt down beside him. She got a good look at the wild take he was making when he saw all the money too...  
"DAMN BABE! YOU'RE FUCKING RICH!" Duo practically shouted.   
Hilde just laughed. "Duo, this is just enough for us to reopen the business and pay for food and bills until then!"  
"WHOA! Look at this!" Duo exclaimed as he lifted a huge emerald necklace from it's hiding spot in the corner, "Man, lemme tell you that back during my days on L-2, I'd have killed for something like this to sell!"  
Hilde stopped starring at the unfamiliar piece of jewelry. Duo had just mentioned something about his past to her. So he'd been poor... She returned to conscious thought as she grinned at Duo.  
"You know it's funny. I don't think I ever remember her wearing that."  
"Small wonder!" Duo chided, "This thing is heavy as hell!"  
He took her hand and pressed the necklace to it. He was right. It was the heaviest necklace Hilde had ever felt, and when she got a mental image of it on her grandmother, the necklace's weight cleaved her head off like a guillotine blade.   
"What else is in here?" Hilde asked as she slid the necklace back into the corner.   
"Marriage documents, birth certificates, business permits... The usual.... Say now....what's this?" Duo inquired as he held up a sheet of paper decorated with colorful stick figures. A bright and scribbled blue sky highlighted the figures, two adults and a child. It struck Duo as odd that the adults didn't look old like the grandparents Hilde had lived with, but hey! It sure was a cute family photo!  
"Give me that!" Hilde exclaimed, snatching it from Duo's hands.   
"Isn't that _precious _!" Duo cooed, "The artist spelled her named H-I-R-D-E instead os H-I-L-D-E!"  
"You're too much!" Hilde laughed. Duo just shrugged and snatched back the picture, running around the living room floor.  
"Duo!Give it back!" The German girl didn't bother chasing him because she was really afraid of what would happen if she caught him.   
Duo grinned as he leaned over the only preserved picture frame on the floor. He was quick to put her six year old work of art into the frame and rehang it on the wall.   
"There ya' go, babe." he said. "Now you still have a family portrait!"  
Hilde shook her head with laughter as she gathered some of the money before shutting the step. '_Oh...that was soooooo sweet!' _she thought happily.  
"Where ya' goin'?" Duo asked.  
"Well, you did say you wanted steak and potatoes, didn't you?"  
Duo almost tripped over himself as he jumped up and down with anticipation.   
"But one thing before you leave, Hilde. You've got to learn better English. You don't call them potatoes! That's all wrong! You call them po-taters or 'taters!!"  
"Alright then, Duo." Hilde conceded, "But you better have finished a lot of work by the time I get back now that the pesky crowbar is out of the way!"  
"Babe, consider it done." The pilot said with a wink before retreating to the garage.  


* * * About 2 hours later * * *

Hilde finally wandered into the door with all the supplies that they should need for tonight and tomorrow. Since she didn't have a car or a license, she couldn't really get too much more. After all, a girl could only hold so much! And though Hilde had also been hoping to see some of her old friends during her short trip, she'd been sadly disappointed.   
Nevertheless, the clock in her stomach told her that it was time to cook dinner!   
She set down the groceries on the counter, strolling over to the garage just to let Duo know that she was back.  
"Duo?" Hilde questioned peering her head into the garage. She was amazed at what she saw. He'd almost completely finished! The gundam was entirely concealed, and had just enough room to get out and for Duo to squeeze through in case he needed to battle. She had to admit that she was impressed.  
"Hi-ya' Hilde!" Duo said, peeping out of a corner. I've got just a little more cleaning to do then I'll be done!"  
She was a bit disappointed to see that he'd put his shirt back on. However, she still smiled at him. "I'm going to start supper now!" Hilde announced. "Just yell out if you need me, OK?"  
"No prob, but hey, I'm a mess. You don't mind if I use your bathroom when I finish do you? I smell like a can of Raid with a hint of limburger cheese..."  
"Ewww! Then be sure to stay away from me until you do shower, Duo!"  
"Ha.Ha." Duo said dryly.  
Hilde just laughed. "For real though. You're living here now, too. So you don't even have to ask."  
"Thanks babe!" Duo said before sweeping up some stray wires on the floor.  
Hilde shut the garage door and began unpacking groceries. After tenderizing and pounding the steak, she began cutting the garlic bread and 'po-taters'. Hilde Schbeiker took absolute care to do everything just right because she wanted this meal to be her best. She wanted to make Duo's stay here as nice as possible. It would be so lonely without anyone here....  
Hoping that Duo liked a cajun touch, she sprinkled on just a bit more of her grandmother's 'special sauce'. (Though she was German, her family loved all kinds of food. Especially well seasoned cajun cooking.) Then, with a twist of her wrist, she set the timer and set the steak in.   
As everything cooked, Hilde used her free time to clean the closet. Happily, that job wasn't hard since OZ had thrown nearly everything out of it! But she did manage to find a radio that looked like it may work. She wasn't hesitant to plug it in and see either.  
The radio began to work after she did a bit of tweaking with the antenna. As it was, the radio was set to an oldies station. However, Hilde knew these songs well. They were all her grandparents listened to, and she didn't think that the music sounded half bad either. Well, most of it anyway. In fact the song that was coming on was one of her favorites... 

_Come on over. Come on over baby.  
Come on over. Come on over baby.  
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!_

Hilde danced and sang harmoniously as she buttered the garlic bread and set the table. In fact, as impossible as it is to believe, she actually completely forgot Duo was there!_   
_ But as Duo stepped out of the bathroom, cleansed and renewed, the words of the song got his attention. He heard Hilde singing, and it didn't sound half bad. Not only did it not sound half bad, but she singing for him to 'come on over'.  
He walked into the living room just enough to see Hilde dancing to an old song that even he hadn't heard before.  
"Say, now" Duo mumbled, "She ain't half bad."  
  
_Hey boy don't 'cha know  
I've got sumthin' goin' on..._

"Oh yeah, I know it." Duo murmured, as he watched the hips sway and the legs swerve. Right now his only problem with this picture was the outfit, and Duo cursed himself for the millionth time on getting her that oversized sweater.

_I've got an invitation,   
don't 'cha keep_ _me waitin' all night long._

"Ah, hell." Duo cursed, "she does owe me a freebie since I gave her one."

_I know you know..._

Hilde had been pretty pleased with herself. She felt like she was dancing pretty well and she was remembering more of the words than she thought. Suddenly she felt someone dancing behind her and slowly pulling her closer. She gasped as she turned and saw none other than Duo! Instantly, she glowed as brightly as Rudolph's nose...  
"Come on, babe!" Duo urged, "don't stop now! You're on a roll!"  
At Duo's urging, she somehow managed to get through the rest of the song without too big of a stumble. But she sure as hell didn't remember it with how closely they were dancing... It was like a blurred dream, she just couldn't believe it was real...  
In fact, they ended up pressed together when the song ended...just starring at each other. Those eyes were lowered seductively and the devil's grin snuck up on Duo's face. But soon it lowered in intensity and Duo seemed to be in as much a daze as she was. He had the most beautiful eyes and she followed every move they made... Even when they fell closer to hers as their faces moved closer and the boy's lips parted...  
All of a sudden, another song came on, and this woman's voice sounded like a dying giraffe. Duo released his grip on Hilde as he covered his ears and doubled over in pain. Hilde saw the emergency and she dashed toward the radio, silencing it with a flick of her wrist as she unplugged the cord.  
"Damn! What was that?" Duo asked, somewhat glad for the distraction. By God! What had he nearly done!!!  
"I think it was Macy Grey." Hilde shuddered, sad that this woman was already dead because now there was no way for her to kill her for ruining the mood. "She's awful!"  
"That is an understatement!" Duo exclaimed, a bit louder than usual. Was he nervous???   
"So, what's that smell? Is dinner almost done!"  
*_ ding!_ * the stove timer chimed.  
"Yes!" Hilde exclaimed, pulling the steak out of the oven and placing it on the table with the rest of the meal.  
"WHO-HOO!" Duo exclaimed, filling his plate so much that the food was almost falling off it.  
"Duo, you're so silly! Eating like there's no tomorrow!"  
"Well babe, you never can tell if it will be that way or not. That's why I always eat like there's no tomorrow. And I live like that, too."  
Hilde smiled. "I guess you're right, Duo."   
" 'Course I am Hilde. And, by the way since I forgot to mention it earlier, I got the gundam to Stan's Place without having to ask directions either, just like I told you I would!"  
Hilde giggled. She knew it was stupid, but she was really falling for Duo hard and fast. But then again, as she thought about it, she'd never really had a chance . What woman wouldn't fall for this guy? Hilde shook the feelings aside. She was being silly. What place did romance have in a war anyway? She and Duo were just allies. He could even have a girlfriend or a family that needed him soon after the war! What hope did she have that Duo had a gap in his life that she could fill?   
'_I'll just pack these thoughts away in that empty closet.'_ Hilde thought sadly, '_ And someday, I'll find them again when the war is over. Then I can be a foolish lovesick girl. I'll be alone then, and have all the time in the world for those things.'_  
_  
_  
  
  



	6. Neverending Story Chapter 6: A Normal Da...

  
. . . Betcha thought I was gone! Nope, No such luck! My chapters may be delayed but my mission will be complete! I think this one is especially witty, see what you think! Feel free to write with comments or suggestions, my goal for these stories is accuracy so that people can see how a relationship between Duo and Hilde does fit into the plot-line. There's some German in this fic, but it's all clearly translated. Thank you and enjoy!  
  
Chapter Six: _The Never Ending Story_  
**A Normal Day at the New Home...**

Routines were formed quickly at the Schbeiker household.   
-The early bird got first bathroom privileges.  
- Duo always ran from the stray mutt when he went out before sunrise to steal the neighbor's paper.   
-Hilde always burnt the bacon and made the perfect biscuits.   
-Duo always got stuck with the dishes (and dish-pan hands) when Hilde had to hurry to her at home office. . .  
Despite all the new routines and commitments the God of Death had made, he still couldn't believe how wonderfully everything was coming together. And he had to admit that half of it wasn't due to his quick thinking, it was due to Hilde's.  
The girl, in truth, was a regular marvel! Despite how much money she had, she just didn't go out and blow it. Rather, they rationed it conscientiously and still took whatever bank loans that they could.   
Why?  
This way OZ (and even the Romefeller Foundation), if they were watching Hilde closely, wouldn't wonder where the sudden surplus of income came from. As well as that, she had located everything Duo needed for his gundam, and, as the junkyard business picked up, she purchased it slowly and imported it from different routes. Sometimes the delivery was to Stan's, sometimes it was to Hilde, and other times it was to rural repairmen that were associates of Stan's. Either way it went, all of the parts couldn't be traced to one location. So that was certainly one burden from Duo's shoulders.   
Now if only he could get out of the house more! Damn nosey neighbors!  
Duo hated being confined. For the past....... Aw hell, he didn't know how long he'd been in Hilde's house, even if he did mark off the days on the calendar. It seemed like five months!   
Not that it wasn't cool here. Hell, it was a blast when the woman wasn't working! But until Hilde came out of her little office for lunch, or at 5:00, Duo was reduced to the life of a couch potato, something he wasn't used to or sure that he liked. He'd sit down there on the couch and watch the news with one eye and the clock with the other.   
He had even been reduced to **_picking up his own messes!_**   
**Duo Maxwell** _cleaning house_ out of boredom! The sheer shame of it all! Everytime he picked up an empty potato chip or twinkie bag he felt like a little bit of his manly soul was being ripped out. Once he got back in Deathscythe, he'd be living in junk again......   


*Empty coke cans!*  
* Frito bags!*  
* Crumpled McDonald's sacks!*  
  


He could hardly wait!  
Figuring that the news completely sucked and since none of the good toons (like DragonBall Z or Sailor Moon were on) Duo cut off the T.V. and settled down for a nap. After all, in a little while he'd be getting in the final part for Deathscythe. The he'd be able to go out every once in a while and collect Hilde some junk for once!

  
* * *

Hilde flipped the chicken over again. Last time the loud sizzling almost got a reaction out of the slumbering pilot...  
  
Maybe if she put some of the grease on_ him_.... 

But naw! She wouldn't do that! ....   
  
While he was asleep.......

He stirred again. Hilde sighed. Duo thought he had it bad being cooped up in here. But it wasn't too much fun in there going though papers. Nevertheless, she was working on finding a way to better occupy Duo. His talent to fix things could come in handy at some point later, when OZ- no wait, Romefeller- whoever in the hell was the enemy now!- was taken out.  
Hilde removed the chicken from the skillet and looked over at Duo, somewhat perturbed since dinner was finished and he was still snoozing.

"Alright." she sighed. "Duo, I know you're not going to like this...."  
  
:: :: :: ::

**"YAHHHHHAHA!!!!!!!! HAHA- H_A---HILDEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! _" **

Duo _H A T E D_ being tickled. But sometimes, that was the only way to get him up...  
"Damn it!" He spat. "That's it! You're goin' down now!"

For those who don't know, there was only one way to avoid being killed after arousing the grumpy- and still sleepy- Shini-gami.....

Hilde split into the kitchen, a short enough sprint to make. However that never did her any good, since Duo was still much faster. He tackled her the second her feet touched the tiled kitchen floor.....

But, as always, Hilde was saved by the tantalizing aroma of meat, the one way to save yourself once rudely awaking the God of Death.

As soon as the smell hit Duo, he released his victim, While muttering several obscenities and vows of death, he plotted aloud the vengeance he would savor later on. . .   
" mphvernumpherf-god-damn-woman-with-the-fuckin'-tickle-pokes!-mph  
vernumferf-I'll-get-you-later-,we'll-see-how-well-you-do-sneaking-upon-an-awake shinigami!-mperfvernumperf-death-is-coming!!!!-mphernumperf!" ::gobble:: ::gobble::  
Hilde just sighed as Duo continued his munching. What would she really do without him? Everything else she'd known had been taken from her. And what if he. . . She wouldn't think about that now. Surely everyone she was close to wouldn't disappear!

_**"Have you ever felt the searing blade of my scythe!! **__Mphver!-_num_pherf!!!!  


_:: It would appear that Duo is trying to be intimidating, but Hilde doesn't notice this outburst, or is trained to ignore it.   
It was true that Hilde feared the day Duo would leave, if he'd say goodbye, if he'd come back. The days flew by like a butterfly among roses, even if they were in the middle of a war. In fact, that comparison was what Hilde feared to best fit her relationship with Duo. . . A fragile fluttering creation that survived on the nectar provided by their alliance.  
She wanted so much more!   
Duo was going to break away from her to fight his battles. This was inevitable. After all, that was why Hilde was helping him!

But in the end, she would be alone. . .

"So babe, what of those parts?" Apparently, Duo remembered that he could not yet kill his best friend because he was still in need.

"Hm?" said Hilde, " Was?" * * was=what * *  
"Ersatzteile, schon." Duo replied in hesitant German. * * Parts, babe. * *  
Hilde couldn't help it but to laugh as Duo strained to pronounciate correctly. He'd done a good job on that little incomplete sentence.   
Duo had started picking up little German phrases about three or four weeks ago. She'd spoken German so much to annoy him during their time together that he was starting to construct his own cute little phrases. . . some of which she was certain that she'd hear shortly. (Fortunately, she had yet to teach him many curse words!)

"So bald wie moglich, mittwochich glaube."   
Hilde replied, knowing full well that Duo wasn't _that_ accomplished at the German language.  
Duo calmly drunk the rest of his coke, and once he finished the refreshment, he stared Hilde down until she couldn't stop laughing. Finally, he spoke, trying his best to convey in German the anguish his poor little American heart felt. . .

"Spree's chen see Englisch?! Verdamnt! Was haben sie gesagt, des ist universe chant! Hilfe! Ich habe mich verirrt!! Ich mochte mit dem gues-u-farts-further sprechan!!!"  
What Duo meant to say in German. . .  
* * Do you speak English?! Damn! What is that, that's outrageous! Help! I'm lost!! I'd like to speak to the manager!!!" * *  
What Duo actually said. . .   
: : Spree's chen see English?! Damn! What is that, des ist universe-chant! Help! I'm lost!! I'd like to gues-u-farts-further manager!!! : :   
  
And thus, in less than ten seconds Duo managed to spit out and screw up almost his entire German vocabulary...

"Duo!" Hilde laughed, "That's, '_Sprechen sie Englisch?! Verdamnt! Was haben sie gesagt, das ist unverschamt! Hilfe! Ich habe mich verirrt!! Ich mochte mit dem_ _geschaftsfuhrer sprechen!"  
" _Well, the point remains the same."  
"You're terrible. And just so you know, I basically said 'As soon as possible, I think Wednesday.'"  
"WO-HOOOO!!!!" Duo shouted, jumping up and whooping like crazy.  
"Duo! Sit down and finish your dinner!" the German girl giggled.  
"Hehehe, sorry Hilde."  
"In other news," she continued, "the business is picking up slightly. But I don't think we'll have enough money leftover to finish getting those parts-"  
"Well, that's alright, it'd be better than nothin'."  
"You didn't let me finish." Hilde said, shaking her finger in his face as she wore an evil witty grin.

Now, there are certain 'signs' that Duo likes. Such as flipping people off before killing them, the music in horror movies that lets the viewer know that that was _not_ the right door, and Duo liked that special smile Hilde had now. That meant good things that fucked up OZ! He leaned over eagerly, his Shini-gami ego anticipating the news.

"Do I have your attention?"

"Completely."

"Well, when we get in the last vital part, your gundam will be able to annihilate OZ mobile suits more efficiently. . . I was thinking that we could use some of those parts to fix your gundam up some more. . ."  
Duo laughed out loud, "Hot Damn! You are one smart-ass woman! And the parts I can't use can be sold in the junkyard!"  
"Yup!" Hilde chirped.  
"I can hardly wait until Deathscythe is able to earn his keep!"  
And with that, Duo cleaned his plate and deposited it in the dishwasher.  
"I'm stealin' the shower first." Duo called out as he headed toward to bathroom.  
"Duo, wait! You have to clean the plate in the sink _before_ you put it in the dishwasher!! You know that!"  
"What's that? I can't hear you!"  
"Alright!" Hilde announced a little louder, "Hear this! I am taking you favorite spot on the couch!"  
"WHAT!" Duo shrieked (she could tell he'd just made it to the bathroom), "Evil little shit.....takin' my damn spot, your mother fucked Hitler didn't she?!"  
"THAT WAS LOW, MAXWELL!" Hilde yelled.  
"Oh what, she did?!"  
And with that Duo shut the door and turned on the water.  
'_That's fine. I'll get him later.' _Hilde promised herself._  
_Being that the God of Death had _such_ lovely hair, he had to maintain it well when he had the chance. After-all, he did have a deadly image to portray. So Duo took extra time to shampoo his hair, and even more time to condition it. After which he took yet _still_ more time to part his hair in three perfectly even chunks to braid. Finally, after brushing his pearly whites, the Shini-gami emerged from the restroom to reclaim his favorite couch spot that he had been working _so_ damn hard to wear in these past few months. . .   
This was gonna be a piece of cake. Hilde slept quietly, obviously bored to sleep after Duo's two and a half hour long shower. . . ! ! ! (Not including shampooing shampooing and conditioning. . .)  
So he just picked her up and moved her to the middle . . .

'_God, she's light as a feather!'  
  
_

And settled into his choice spot. Afterwards, he glanced out the window. . .  
"Damn, it's dark already!"  
With that, Hilde awoke. Undoubtly she wasn't in a deep sleep.  
"You jerk-ass."  
"Such obscenities." Duo lamented, clicking his tongue in shame. Hilde smiled wryly at the action, and with that, he picked up that stolen paper he'd retrieved earlier that the morning.  
"I didn't know we had a subscription." Hilde wondered aloud.  
"Sure we do, babe! What do you think I do, _steal 'em_?!"  
Duo shook the paper open, disturbed to find a gigantic hole in the middle of his favorite section.  
"Damn dirty dog!" he muttered, casting the paper away. "Now I'll never find out what happened to Dick Tracey!"  
Hilde just laughed, "Oh Duo, you are _shameless!_"  
"What!? What's shameless?! Hilde, if you think for one second that I would steal Mrs. Gerbeshien's paper, you are barking up the wrong tree, _missy!!_ - Speaking of barking, I've _got_ to do something about that dog!- What an _shameless_ accusation! And I thought you were my friend!"   
"I can't belive you stole her paper, Duo! You go over there right now and return it!"  
"_HELL NO!!!! _Hilde, have you seen that dog out there! It's vicious!!! An unparalled demon from hell booted out by Satan's own hoof!"  
"It's just a chihuahua, Duo."  
With that Duo ignored Hilde and put on his best pout and changed the channel.  
Hilde just shook her head. "Duo, can I ask you a question?" she inquired seriously.  
The braided boy paused for a minute as he debated this. Too much knowledge wasn't good for Hilde's health. But eventually, after much deliberation, he decided that it alright for her to ask. After-all, he wasn't agreeing to answer. . .  
"Sure, babe."  
"Can you tell me about the other pilots. . . just a little??"  
"Eh? Why do you want to know about them?"  
"Just curious."  
"Well, I'll tell ya', they all suck compared to me. . ."  
Hilde laughed, "Duo, seriously!"   
"I am serious. I'm the man-"  
"Oh, come off it!"  
"Fine, fine, fine." Duo relented.  
"So are they all good looking?" Hilde asked.  
"No." Duo said quickly. "And even if they were, there isn't a chance in Hell that they could surpass my beauty."  
"Good Grief!" Hilde giggled, "Such vanity!"  
"Any-who, you wanted to know about the others- We'll start with the ougliest one, the one whose hair is like a rat's nest- Have you ever seen Gohan's hair on DBZ? That's about it, only worse. . . and let me tell you 01 is crazy! That's the one that blew up his gundam. . ."  
"He's still alive, too!" Hilde exclaimed, "He must be hardcore!"   
"Hell, babe, we're _all _hardcore, and it is _theorized_ that the man is human. I personally shot him twice. . ."  
"You _shot_ your own comrade!"  
"Well, he wasn't then! My motto is 'shoot first, ask questions later.' And besides, I made it up to him. I helped him escape the military hospital. Of course. . . He did steal _Deathscythe's _parts_!!!_ Damn traitor."  
"You don't get along well?" Hilde guessed.  
"Naw, we're fine now. We worked together a couple of times and I saw him work a few miracles by deactivating bombs and bustin' my ass off Death row. I'd call him one of my best friends- if I wasn't so afraid of his spandex ass running in here for my blood. . ."  
"I can't believe how much you've gone though Duo."  
"Me either. Life is screwing me big-time. I don't know too much about the others, except 04. I had to travel with him a bit. That guy is rich, or from a rich family-"  
"Are you serious! Which one?!"  
"Classified information, babe! But anyways, he's real proper. He scares me. He isn't vicious on the outside to protect himself like the rest of us. He's all kindness. HE APOLOGIZES TO PEOPLE BEFORE HE KILLS THEM! HE HAS THE GALL TO CALL THEM AND TELL THEM HE'S SORRY _BEFORE_ THE BANG!!!"  
Hilde laughed out loud.  
" I don't know where a guy like that gets the strength to fight, but he has it. He disowned himself from that rich family to fight."  
"Wow. . ."  
"Funny thing is that he orders a big group of OLD men around, too, and they do whatever he says and call him master!"  
"Are you serious!"  
"Would the Shini-gami lie to you?"  
"Probably. I seem to recall something about the toilet seat. . ."  
Duo cleared his throat nervously. "Moving on! - 03 is the one I know the least about. He helped out me and 05 by throwing us some details for our new gundams. . . He coulda' done it in a better fashion. Let me tell you, that guy has a nice left hook. He belches me in the stomach for one comment and there's the information! With it we were able to make a hasty escape when the time came. I tell ya' Hilde, when 03 and I first met, we almost had a big fight! Would you believe 01 and I were fighting troops _just fin_e until that little S.O.B. showed up! It was all under control and then- BOOM!!!!!! Then another BANG here and a POW there! He lets loose about a million missiles and almost hits our damn gundams! And as he caused complete chaos, 01 and I hear something over the coms. . . Apologizing _over and over!!!! _ Hilde, I promise you! That man ,04, either has no balls or balls of steel!!!! But anyways, after 03 nearly blowed the piss out of our gundams, I was naturally eager to return the favor. . ."  
"What stopped you?"  
"05." Duo said simply.  
"Why'd you let him stop you?"  
"Didn't you just hear me say '05'! That's reason enough alone! That man scares the shit out of me! He's so quiet, yet he screams so L-O-U-D! . . . When he looks at me, I feel like I'm at the bottom of the fucking food chain!"  
Hilde laughed, " What else about him?"  
"Well, it's like I said, he's real quiet. Not as quiet as 03, but he is very big on honor and justice. I talked to him mostly when I was in the jail cell, and we both didn't enjoy that close brush with death when they turned off the oxygen in our cells. . . _Of course_, he was _the first _to panick when we noticed. But _I_ calmed him down like the naturally level-headed individual that I am, and it is then that this guy remembers that he can go into some fucked up form of suspended animation and does not even have the _nerve_ to teach me the trick! I guess he just thought that _he_ should live and _I_ should die, even though I am the smarter and all out better pilot!!! And I'm best looking, too. . ."  
"How did you get out!" Hilde panicked, as if the crisis was present now.  
"I dunno." Duo laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Someone turned the air back on and opened the cells. I'm guessing they hated Tuberov. . . a lot."  
Hilde was somewhat lost for words. How was she supposed to respond to someone like this? And she was certain he'd gone through even more shit that he hadn't even mentioned! And what kind of shit had he gone through before he got his gundam- and what kind of shit did he go through to get it???  
"Duo, " Hilde asked hesitantly, "Can you tell me how you got your gundam?"  
"Sorry, babe." Duo answered simply, as if she'd asked a simple question. "Can't do that."  
"Oh."Hilde said, somewhat disappointed, "maybe, later?. . After the war?"  
Duo paused a bit before laughing, "Yeah, after the war. . . if it ever ends."  
"You guys will end it." his friend said assuredly.  
"Wish I had that confidence." Duo sighed, flicking to yet another channel.   
There was an awkward silence between the two, as the reporters on Channel 18 babbled on about Tuberov's Mobile Doll advancement, updates on the severing of the OZ factions, and the latest news on the Sanc Kingdom. Needless to say, Duo felt sorry for the blond girl he'd seen earlier. Even he could tell that her peaceful little paradise was soon to be fucked.  
It brought up a question he'd been thinking about for some time now, about all the pilots. Where they were exactly now, what they were working on, how they were. . . ? ? ?  
"Hilde, I didn't actually offend you earlier did I? Ya' know when I said your momma fucked Hitler?" Duo inquired, desiring to change the subject present on his mind.  
Hilde herself was a bit startled by this out-of-the-blue question. Duo never usually asked about stuff like that. He just assumed she knew. And she always did.  
"No, Duo. It didn't. I'll just get you back later, that's all."  
"Is that so?"  
"Ja." * * Yes. * *  
Duo smirked. "You'll need to pray pretty hard tonight if you want to do that."  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I won't need to pray, it won't be hard."

For some strange reason, though Duo didn't know the origin of it, a rather pleasing mental image ran though his mind of Hilde in tight black leather flipping a whip. . . ready to get him back.

Oh if only. . .  


But no.  
" Good night, Hilde." Duo said, flicking off the T.V.  
"Good night, Duo. And sweet dreams. . ." Hilde called as she shut the door.

Duo grinned wickedly as that sight re-entered his mind.  
"I will."  
_  
_  
  
  



	7. Neverending Story Chapter 7: Chaos on Wi...

Hey people! Well I guess that if you've read this far, then you must be getting some enjoyment out of my stories! Yay! The good news is that I can get to a computer again! However there is some bad news; I'm in fuckin' art college and it eats my time up. Nevertheless, this will be finished. If you know me that well and how much I love Duo, then you'll know I'm not lying! The story is about to start getting real interesting, as we are working in scenes from the series, specifically episode 32, The God of Death meets Zero. This particular story isn't as funny because it is such a serious subject. So here you go fans, I write these for me and you, so give me feedback! It might take a while for me to come online and respond, but give it a try, I _will_ write back. Here's another e-mail address I'll check more that I use at college: lil_hildechan@yahoo.com. Until then, I advise you to get real comfy because this is one LONG chapter, the longest yet.  
  
Chapter Seven: _The Never Ending Story_  
**Chaos on Wings...**

"Hey-ya Hilde!"   
The previously blank monitor greets a German girl on L-2, who has been carefully observing the progress of that very smiling pilot whose face flashes on the screen.  
"Duo! How's that new part working?"  
"Just fine, babe. . . and I'm just about to test it out!"**  
**"Duo!" Hilde starts, "Do you think that's-"  
"Don't worry Hilde!" Duo interrupts, " Remember that I'm a Gundam pilot! Deathscythe is going to earn its keep! Besides, we've been doing this for weeks now ; nothing's different about today."  
Hilde just smiled wryly. Every day with Duo was different. There was always some minor crisis to handle, like the time he got his braid stuck in the zipper of his spacesuit or the day before that when-  
"I'm approaching D-244. . . " Duo says, intruding upon Hilde's thoughts as he details his situation, ". . . the radar's pickin' up. . . ten space Taurus's . . . . a few Leos. . . . one support carrier. . . they're probably carrying some space mines . . . - I'm goin' in!"  
With that, communications were cut as Duo had undoubtly engaged his hyper jammers  
"Good luck," Hilde whispered to the blank screen.  
  
* * *  
"What's this?....." a soldier questions, as if there is anything to inquire. Soon his worst nightmare is confirmed as he sees for himself the darkness that seems to mold and take shape. . . "_It's . . . **A GUNDAM!!!! **_"  
*_SLASH!*  
_The mighty DeathScythe Hell cut clean through the Front Leo, like a scalding knife slashing through a stick butter.  
"_Prepare to attack!" _a voice edicts authoritatively over the comms as the disarrayed Cracker Escort team jumbles into battle formation. It was a tangled configuration that Duo was getting used to dealing with. . . in short, a line to the grim reaper.  
The Shini-gami lunged toward his enemies, the scythe raised above his head, glaring mightily with a supreme and godly radiance. There wasn't so much as the slightest chance of a miracle for the Oz soldiers, who were simply dead men walking as far as Duo was concerned. . . And with that he decided that now was as good a time as any to let the troops know exactly what they were in for by identifying himself specifically-  
_  
**"THE GOD OF DEATH HAS JUST RETURNED   
FROM HELL!!!!"**_

"_**DAMN IT ALL!**" _a victim shouts, "_**IT'S ZERO TWO!**"  
  
"**I CAN'T CONTACT BARGE. . . "**_ screams another, who is cut short by the double beamed weapon, **_"AH-AHHHHHHH!_**"  
Deathscythe Hell ripped through his advisories quicker than a vicious dog would go through plastic chew toys. The suits were dissected and strewn about the battlefield, as well as everything they carried with them. Indeed, it seems that within the shining of an instant, one would not have sworn that this was a battlefield at all, for it better resembled a slaughterhouse.  
"All done!. . ." Duo chirped, "And now to gather the fruits of my labor! . . . Hey-ya Hilde!" Duo greeted, as he patched his friend through on the communicators.  
"Is everything alright, Duo?" she asked.  
"Sure is!" he chimed, "No sweat, I'll be hauling this over in about three hours. Be sure to have Stan waiting at the junkyard for me then."  
"Alright, Duo." Hilde smiles, "I'll see you soon. . . have you secured the junk yet, or is that what you're working on now?"  
"Yeah," says Duo, " I'm gathering it as we speak, then I'll fasten in down it and dispose of the bodies a s usual."  
Duo could see Hilde pause a moment as she contemplated what he was contemplating now. Talking about disposing of bodies as if it was a regular everyday chore, not to be bothered with. Just dead men, men that had lost their lives fighting as blindly as Hilde herself had once fought for the hollow promise of peace. . . But that's just what war did to you. Duo couldn't help it. Chunking men's bodies into the recesses of space where it was very possible that no one would ever find them again, including the families who wished to bury their dead . . . it was an everyday chore. Besides that, the men weren't going to use them anymore, all they were was bodies. Their souls, among a thousand others, had gone to Hell to testify against his so-called 'righteousness' for the day that someone would chunk his dead body into the never-ending space where not even Hilde could find it.   
Another disturbing thought entered Duo's mind as he remembered his acquaintance 04. . . who was said to be floating about in space. However, after Heero's miraculous survival, even Duo, who would generally just assume the man as dead, found himself wondering about Trowa.   
"Sure thing, Duo" Hilde interceded upon the braised boys thoughts, "I'll make sure he's there."  
"I'll see you later, Hilde!" Duo smiled as he cut communications, "Good luck and goodbye!"  
"Goodluck. . ."  
Duo could always hear Hilde whisper that when the screen went blank. He rather liked hearing that phrase since he always needed all the luck he could get. Indeed, if you ever had to say one thing to a gundam pilot, "goodluck" would be the best phrase, as "be careful" was rather redundant. If gundam pilots were careful, they really wouldn't be gundam pilots, now would they? Still Duo hated to see anyone fret too much, especially Hilde since he lived with her and she'd hassle him till he gave in. So whenever Hilde worried, Duo'd just respond, "Remember that I'm a gundam pilot," and remind her that he could handle it.  
Once he'd collected all the pieces Duo was quick to secure them together and strap them to his old buddy. Then he cast all the bodies into space, to let the great heavenly body swallow the men that knowingly or unknowingly caused her corruption. Until then, he'd just have to keep fighting, even if it was in an incomplete gundam,"This suit is about 80% complete," he confirmed vocally to himself, "but the remaining modifications shouldn't be too difficult. . . Oh well, time to make my getaway!"

* * *

"You need Vernier fuel for mobile suits, don't you?" Stan inquired to a certain braided pilot.  
"Yeah," says Duo, "sorry to bother you. . .Here's your payment. . . Genuine OZ products!"  
"It's in the trailer out front, so help yourself." Stan said, pushing a pad toward Duo, "Here, sign this form."  
"Just a second!" Duo stuttered before scratching his name on the paperwork, "Don't you wanna check?!"  
Stan just climbed gruffly into the green trailer, "We'll never make ends meet if those guys take over. Until then - I'm counting on you to do whatever you can... I'm trusting in you." He honks the horn on the large truck before pulling out, "Let me know if you need bullets, too. Contact me anytime!"  
Duo watches as Stan drives off, a bit confused by the kindness. "The old guy drove off without even taking my payment." He says with a smile.  
"Duo!" a familiar voice grabs his attention as he turns toward a running girl.  
"Is there anything I can help you with?" she asks, huffing slightly.  
"No, it's all under control." he smiles, "wait for me at the trailer out front. I'll be right there."  
"Sure thing!" Hilde consents, running back in the direction that she came.  
Duo stares at her running form momentarily, still kicking himself in the ass for getting that damn sweater that not only doesn't let him see any jiggling, but also covers up her butt. What kind of idiot was he anyway?-  
Breaking himself lose from his thoughts, he turns and runs briskly in the other direction.

*** * *   
  
Hilde took the longer way toward the trailer, as she wanted to check and see if her computer had been able to download any of OZ's transport plans. Lately, the little information that she had been able to squeeze up had really helped Duo turn this area into the Bermuda Triangle of space. From what she could tell, they had really hindered the output of Virgo troops for Operation Nova. And any progress was good progress. Not only did Duo have the satisfaction of fighting again and not hanging out on the couch all day, but Hilde herself really felt like she was a part of something special. She really was fighting for true peace now, thanks to Duo.   
She returned to her computer to find, much to her disappointment, that her usual hacking hadn't proven to be fruitful. With a sigh, she cut her computer off and left the house, making certain to double- lock all the doors. She really couldn't afford to forget about 'securing the fort'- not even one time.Though she had yet to do so, she still had nightmares about OZ turning the handle to an unlocked door and checking the house over. . . Destroying the gundam in the hanger. . . ambushing them when they came back. . . torturing and killing Duo. . . burning her and her allies alive like witches. . .  
Once all that was done, Hilde left, satisfied with herself, she sprinted toward the trailer at the front, ignoring all the clearance signs the stores flashed on their window the whole way.  
"Duo!" she yelled, greeting her friend who was rummaging around in the piles of junk.  
"How'd it go?" he inquired, already guessing by her late arrival that she had checked up on the routes.  
"No luck," Hilde explained, "I couldn't get any new info on their transport plans."  
"Oz isn't that ignorant," Duo replied, "They're just being more cautious. I'd love to destroy Barge right now, but I'll have to put that off."  
"Are you going to keep fighting alone, Duo?" Hilde asked curiously, wondering if all the pilots would ever reunite to destroy OZ once and for all.  
"What choice do I have?" Duo asked, "I don't know where the others are." He pauses briefly for a dramatic stretch as he gazes at the colonies so-called 'sky', "So I'll just have to go it alone."   
"Let me know if I can help!" Hilde says eagerly, "I'll do anything!"  
Of course, even Hilde knew that she'd left herself open for that one when she said the word _anything_, and she could see the transformation of features play across Duo's face. . .   
"Ok," he says smiling as he chides his friend, "I certainly wouldn't mind having a_ juicy steak_ for dinner. . ."  
"Come off it! I'm totally serious!" Hilde retorted with her hands on her hips, desperate to do more for Duo now than cook his meals like some goofy maid in a beret.  
"I know-I know," Duo relented. Probably only ceasing the teasing because she had on her very best 'buddy-you're in-trouble' look and because he already knew that Hilde had a steak out for dinner . . . again. With that, Hilde's expression returned to normal as Duo continued, "You're doing more than enough  
already. . ."  
  
  
* * *   
Their conversation was cut short by a deafening reverberation from the very heart of C8923. The monstrous roaring shook every part of the colony, echoing across the blue steel sky as a large and powerful form closed in on their position. . .   
"What's that?!" Hilde exclaimed.   
Both the noise and the sight of such an awing silhouetted profile were all too familiar to Duo, who could hardly believe his eyes. . .   
"He-ey waiiiit!" he stammered, "It's. . . a gundam!"  
The two watched, equally confused, as a most authoritative gundam landed directly in front of them. Without any hesitation, it pulled out it's large beam cannon and targeted the two teens. . .  
'_Is that. . . Wing Gundam?_' Duo wondered in disbelief. Though it strongly resembled 01 and Duo halfway expected his kill-crazy comrade to pop out within a few moments simply out of habit, he knew well that this gundam, though similar in appearance, was not Wing Gundam. It was much bulkier, with bigger wings and a far more intimidating beam cannon. . . or maybe it was just more intimidating because Duo was more helpless than usual without his gundam and he had Hilde as well as the entire colony to worry about. . . The thought had crossed Duo's mind to shove the his german friend behind his back, but then he remembered that though he was a God of Death, he wasn't Superman. If that gundam fired, it wouldn't matter if they were 2 miles away, they were gonna be fried.  
Still, who in the hell was out to kill him _now?!_  
"Freeze!"  
With that, the cockpit of the gundam opened hesitantly to expose the identity of its strange master,---- which just so happened to be one of the last people in the universe Duo would have expected to possess a gundam . . an OZ official.  
"Duo Maxwell," states the man flatly in a certain militaristic tone, "I demand that you come with me. Do it or you're dead."  
The comrades looked at each other, and Duo could practically see the worry play across Hilde's face, like flipping through and animator's flip-book, page by page. '_He's bluffing,' _Duo thought to himself,_ 'if that thing is half as strong as Wing's cannon, it still be more than enough to annihilate this place!'_  
"Do what you have to!" he exclaimed dramatically, camouflaging his concern with a sort of nonchalant ease, "But remember the power of that beam cannon! You could demolish the colony. . ."  
"I don't care. . ." The man replied, gruffly cutting him off.  
"Huh?!" Duo exclaimed, beginning to let some of that worry peep through. How could anyone just brush off the thought of obliterating an entire colony just like that?  
". . . I have no interest in what happens to this useless colony," he continued without hesitation, "I'm not gonna remain an insignificant technical officer. Once I figure out this gundam's system, Colonel Tuberov's MobileDolls will be a useless tool of the past. What the new Oz needs is a completely new system; I'll do whatever is required to make that happen. . . Now come gundam pilot! You're the only one I want!""   
Duo glared at the headstrong officer, his teeth clenched and muscles tensed with an aching desire to retaliate against this overlord of impudence. It was sad to see yet another man so desperate for stature that he was willing to sacrifice a colony full of innocent people to raise his rank and better control a mere machine!  
"FINE!" Duo yelled, his temper starting to get the better of him, "HOLD YOUR HORSES, DAMN-IT!!!! . . .You cock-suckin' cheesefucker. . . " With that, he turns toward Hilde quickly, and holds her shoulders securely as he speaks in hesitant German, disguising the gesture as best he could to make the officer believe that he was simply telling an acquaintance goodbye. . .   
"Erhalten Siemeinen Freund betribsbereit. Oberwachen Sie meine Ruckseite. Ich wertraue Ihnen."  
He could see that she was a bit started, but compliant, nonetheless, "J-ja. . Gutes Gluck."  
"Es ist O.K., Hilde."  
With that Duo turned and walked briskly toward the bastardous officer, with only one thing one his mind as he climbed into the cockpit, '_what the hell is going on!?"_  
"Welcome." Mr. Asshole greeted emptily as soon as Duo hopped aboard. "Well, thanks for inviting me!" Duo grins, "To what do I owe this displeasure?"  
"I'm not here to play games, pilot!" the man spat, "My name is Lieutenant Trant, and all I care about is right here," he says, patting the control panel for the gundam, "Wing Zero."  
"Wing Zero?" Duo asked, "How the fuck did OZ get it's hands on a gundam, and a new one at that?"  
"It's much more than a new gundam, Maxwell." Trant advised, "and to answer your question, we took it."  
"Shoulda' known."Duo muttered, though he still had plenty of questions to ask.   
"It seems that this gundam has a unique effect on the pilot, one that I cannot fully decipher. Your friend 04 destroyed an entire colony under this system's influence. . ."  
"Zero four--- was _responsible for that?!?!_" Duo'd heard about that incident on the news after his jailbreak as well as the death of prized OZ official Trowa Barton. . . but he'd had no idea. . . Quatre?!"  
"Partially him. . . " Trant confirmed, "and partially the Zero system. . ."  
"What in the hell do you want with me then if he couldn't control it?!?" Duo .questioned incrediously.  
"You'll soon see, Maxwell. If had fired on the colony, its power would have made those people's lives undeserving of the sacrifice."

* * *

Hilde hadn't seen that look in Duo's eyes ever since he saw her house in shambles, and before that at those old church ruins. . . She just had to come through for him! He was trusting her! He'd said so himself. . .

"Get my buddy ready for me, watch my back.   
I trust you. . .It's gonna be O.K."

She couldn't punch in the buttons on the mobile suit carrier fast enough! Gundams were very easy to track in space, that is, if they weren't cloaked. Undoubtly, this guy felt like he had nothing to hide, so he stuck out like a sore thumb. Hilde fumbled across the jumbled assortment of buttons on the carrier's controls, and swiftly directed the piece of equipment to prepare for yet another launch into space. . .

* * *

"What's with all this junk you've attached?" Duo gripped, " What do you want me to do?"  
"I want you to fight Mobile Dolls with the Wing Zero," Trant stated simply, " with real firearms, of course."  
"Fine with me.," Duo replied with a smile and without argument,". . . but I might escape during your tests. . . "  
"No you won't," the lieutenant reprimanded, " Wing Zero's functions are set so that I can take control. Besides, I've programmed the Mobile Dolls to switch their target to the colony in case you try something funny."  
'_Party pooper ,' _Duo sulked. There wasn't anything he admonished more than cooperating with dicks.  
Trant didn't hesitate any further to start the battle once Duo finally shut his mouth._  
_"Alright, commence."  
Once Trant pulled the strings, the iron puppets came to life without hesitation and took their classic firing stance that Duo had seen quite a few times before.  
"If I used the rifle from this position it'd harm the colony. . ." Duo deliberated aloud, "so, I'll use this instead!"  
With that he drew forth Wing Zero's sword and promptly put the mighty saber to work, slicing one of the mechanized drones in two. . .  
'_It's not my scythe,"_ Duo thought wistfully, "_But it'll do!"_  
Duo jumped from heartless victim to heartless victim with little problem, cleaving the metal as if was human flesh. It was just when he started to become acquainted to the basic functions of the suit that he noticed something odd. . .  
"What's this?" Duo murmured, when he noticed that his target was starting to blur. . .  
He overlooked it as a malfunction, and returned his eyes back to the battlefield, only to find the green ghost of Deathscythe looming ahead of him. . .   
"What?!" Duo stammered, "No way!?!?!!"   
"So you saw it too!" Trant intervened, "Then tell me, what is Wing Zero trying to show the pilot?"  
"How should I know!?" Duo exclaimed, still a bit shaky after seeing. . . well, whatever in the hell that was supposed to be!  
Glancing at the target again, Duo was relieved to see that it was clear as a sunny day, "I see," he pronounced with certainty, "that's my enemy!"  
He returned his eyes to the battlefield once more, only to witness a scene that was definitely _not_ that of a Mobile Doll's death. . . Duo was filled with terror by the sight, staring blankly ahead in dumbfound disbelief as dozens. . . No! Hundreds of Deathscythes that filled the gaps of space, like a plague of locusts, swarming above and around him. . .   
"AHHHHH!!!!" the pilot screamed in disbelief. It couldn't be! Not ghosts! Gundam's didn't have souls. . . Especially not green eerie souls seeking retribution. . . ready to punish the God of Death that could do nothing more to prevent its death than scream to a careless crowd that watched his annihilation!!!!!  
"What now?!" Trant asked, as impatient as any man trying to watch the toaster for the scorched bread that will never spring forth while the eye lingers idly upon it.  
  


_Duo sees himself decimating Mobile Dolls with the beam cannon. . . though something in the back of his mind is trying to remind him that he decided not to use the omnipotent weapon. But that knowledge is irrelevant to Duo, for he feels the controls shifting underneath the weight of his fingers, flinching every time the ungodly laser shoots forth. . . He can see himself as he battles, so empty and void of spirit, just like the dolls. He turns toward one of the machines that takes aim at his back, and fires the cannon without second thought. The ray springs forth and melts the mobile doll, reducing it down to atoms and molecules. The beam rips a hole through the colony that is his home, and then- he sees Hilde. . . On the colony, in the junkyard. . . She looks toward that terrible sound that signals her damnation with an angelic countenance. . . which slowly transforms to terror as she realizes what has happened. The impact crudely lifts her petite body, like a bully, knocking the red beret off her head. . . As she screams the flames rush in to swallow her alive . . .  
_

  
** "NOOO!!!" **Duo shrieks, _**"WH**_-_what_ have I been doing?!" The pilot suddenly looks out of the cockpit to realize that, as he stares ahead, the only thing mortally wounded was the mobile Doll suspended on the blade of his sword. Jerking it off, he was left with the reality that proudly confronted him. It had never really happened. . . but. . . it had felt so real. . .  
"No way. ." Duo whispered in sheer disbelief as reality settled back in from his vivid hallucination, "There's no way! How could a human do this!?"  
"It' s possible," Trant assures him, " believe me, it's possible. Yes," he reaffirms strongly, "we can do anything with this outstanding system. It can even alter human consciousness to another level! Anything is possible with this!"  
The man's fantastic vision of the possibilities of the Zero system were more like a terrible nightmare for Duo, who still sat rigidly in his chair, gripping reality firmly with every intention of preventing it from slipping away again. In a way, his mind was at war with itself, like a child insisting that the monster under his bed was real while the parent tries to rationalize with it's offspring that such things do not exist. . . could not exist. . .no such thing had actually happened?!?!?!  
"_Lieutenant Trant! Do you read?" _a voice intervenes out of nowhere, _"Hand over Wing Zero and surrender yourself! Orders of Colonel Tuberov! . . . I repeat, hand over Wing Zero and surrender!!!"_  
Duo looks at the consistently bleeping radar. During the confusion, several Space Leos, courtesy of OZ, had managed to sneak up on them. However, fortunately for Duo, it didn't seem like they were interested in him. They probably didn't even acknowledge him. All they wanted was Trant.  
"They're here," Trant says grimly, as a hunter's smile played upon his face. Without so much as a warning, he cast Duo out into space. . . like many a dead body the very pilot had shoveled out mere hours before. . .   
"You'd better leave that system alone." Duo advised weakly, as he drifted further into nothing . . . He was like a soul with nowhere to go in the universe. . . It was so cold. . . He wondered when he would get to hell, at least it should be warm there. It occurred to him that Hilde may never find his body to bury him, he could drift out aimlessly forever. . .he'd never eat that steak. . . because he had passed away.  
He was dead. . . . ._Wasn't he???_

* * * Author's notes * * *  


The next part could be confusing to you guys unless I include this brief explanation. Duo is not sure if he is still in a hallucination or not. By people who have no idea what is going on, he seems to be acting crazy. (Like when Quatre flew the Wing Zero and people thought he was crazy. I suppose that for a bit he was simply because he lost his grip on reality. Either way it goes, Duo is about to do a few things out of the blue that make Hilde question his sanity. Duo is about to do a few rather sparadic things to prove to himself that he is not dreaming. Any questions- ask me! I appreciate any imput that helps me improve accuracy or quality. :) Thanks and gomen for the interruption!)   
  


* * *  


  


"DUO!" Hilde yelled, piloting the clamorsome MS carrier toward the ejected pilot. '_Oh god, Duo! Please be O.K.!" _she prayed with a silent worry that had been nagging her the whole way. . . Setting the atmospheric pressure device, Hilde halted the carrier as soon as it moved in close enough, and raced from her seat to the door, stretching outward into space to scoop the weakened man inside, slamming the door shut.  
"Oh, Duo!" Hilde exclaimed. Kneeling beside him, she removed his helmet and took his face into her hands.  
"Are you O.K.?!"  
She lifted an eyelid to judge the pupil's reaction to light, nearly panicking when it wouldn't focus, "Wake up, Duo!" Hilde demanded, hitting him on the chest, impatient for some trace of that vibrant energy he'd always seemed to have such an abundance of before. . ._ "WAKE UP!!!!"_  
Suddenly, she heard a voice wobble forth from the braided pilot's body,"I'm not dead..." Duo sputtered slowly. Then, suddenly, his eyes bolted open as he leapt up with the sheer realization,"_I'm not dead yet! -_ but wait! Am I hallucinating?"  
"Wha-" Hilde stuttered.  
"Punch me!" Duo demanded abruptly, turning towards her.  
"Why?! What's going on!?"  
"Damn-it, woman!" he growled, "_Punch_ me!! Hurry up! I haven't got time to talk or hallucinate right now!"  
Hilde dutifully punched Duo half-heartidly on the right arm without further hesitation.   
'That's no good," Duo murmed, displeased with the girlish swat as he looked aroun, proceeding to beat a few of the walls to confirm their existence.  
"No, no, that's no good! I'm still not convinced!!!" Duo languishes, when suddenly his eyes latch on to Hilde, the proverbial light-bulb flashing above his head, 'There's one way to tell if I'm dreaming now or not. . ._'_ he whispers slowly.  
'_What is he doing!' _Hilde panicked, '_Why is he acting like this?! What happened to him?!'  
_Before she knew it, he turned toward her again, this time seizing her with a bear's embrace and pressing his down upon lips on her own with a kiss that didn't strike Hilde as playful, passionate, or funny. . .  
"MMMPH!" mumbled the confused German girl, as she pushed Duo off and abruptly slapped the side of his face. Not that she hadn't dreamt of kissing him before, but there were just too many things wrong with this situation!! And did he actually call that desperate act a kiss?!?! She didn't think so- especially not after yelling at her for no reason! _What in the hell did he think he was doing?!?!_  
"_**Duo! **What's wrong with you!!!_" She demanded angrily.  
"Good" Duo said, somehow appeased by her reaction. (!???!) "Hilde," he announced proudly, "This is definitely_ not_ one of my dreams!"  
With that, he stumbled briskly with certain strain, rushing toward Deathscythe Hell.   
Hilde shoved that little comment toward the back of her mind, as most women do, to use against Duo - _I mean_- confront Duo with later. But for now, there were important things to question, such as why he was heading toward his gundam as weak as he was right now. . .  
_Verdamnt!_   
He couldn't---  
He was.  
"Duo!" she called out desperately. . .  
"Stay here Hilde." Duo warned, as he ascended his gundam, "Take this thing away from the battlefield! Keep it away from the colony- I'll catch up with you!" With that, he took his leave, jumping into the cockpit without further hesitation.  
Hilde gasped when she saw the hurry Duo was in and jammed her hand down on the 'open latch' button just in the nick of time! Duo had almost tore through the cargo door in his rush to get onto the battlefield!!!   
'_He's going to get killed thinking like that. . .' _Hilde panicked,_ 'He's gone insane!'  
_She just had to reason with him! Closing the door again and rushing forward to the controls of the carrier Hilde feverously punched in Duo's comm code. . .  
"Don't do it, Duo!" she exclaimed, "You can't fight in your condition!"  
"Don't worry!" Duo chimed, "remember that I'm a gundam pilot! That system is more than a human can handle." he explained quickly, as if she knew what he was talking about, "I've gotta stop him!"  
With that, Duo cut the link and left Hilde by herself to wonder as to where exactly Duo wanted her to go. He said not to go back to the colony and all of space was a battlefield. There was no safe place. . . he wasn't thinking. Just reacting.  
"Goodluck. . ." she whispered quietly, knowing full well that he _really_ needed it now. She dumbly piloted the craft a little further off from the explosions of light and mechanical life that Duo targeted, "be careful, Duo. . . I don't care what you think. Gundam pilots can be cautious. They have to be. . . . . . when they're fighting alone."

* * *

"It's expanding!," Duo heard Trant's voice proclaim over the comm, "My consciousness is expanding! I'm almost there!"  
'_That bastard!" _Duo fumed in his self-deliberation, "_He is goin' down! I look forward to burying his stagnant corpse under the daisies!!!! "_  
Trant's stagnant laughter filled the cockpit of the Deathscythe Hell just before Duo reached him. . . angering him more and more. . .  
" I want more!" Trant breathed greedily, "I haven't had enough yet!_"_  
_"_I'll give him more,_" _Duo muttered, disengaging his hyper-jammers. . .  
"_I haven't had enough!" _the lieutenant bellowed manically . . ._  
_It was with that statement that Duo envisioned a heinous thought of this donkey fucking shit-head predator turning his sick sights to the colony to fulfill his chaotic taste for annihilation. It was with that warped thought in mind that he lunged at Wing Zero with all 80% of the power that he could muster forth from Deathscythe Hell. . ._  
**"STOP IT!!!!!!" **_the God of Death commanded in a roaring voice, wielding his double beamed scythe with every intention to tear that accursed thing a sunder.  
But the Wing Zero evaded each threatening slash with a prowess and ease that made it seem as if he was predicting every move before it was made   
"He's incredibly fast!" Duo stammered in disbelief, as he continued his blind assault on the headstrong gundam.   
"I can see!" Trant exclaimed as if all the wonders in the world were being revealed to him by the great wise man waiting upon the mountain zenith, " I can clearly see_ every one _of your moves!" smirking, he looked down to his monitor at Duo, "I can even see you during your death!"  
Deathscythe's eyes lit with green fire as Duo's rage pushed him boldly forward. . .  
"In your dreams!" Duo asserted aunguishly, charging into Wing Zero with tenacious persistence. He swung the scythe forward yet again, but was thwarted from slicing the gundam in half Wing Zero's powerful beam saber. Blade locked with blade as the two pressed into each other contesting domination by a show of strength. After only a few moments of this, however, both men knew the result. . ..  
"He's stronger than me!" Duo began to panic as the Deathscythe Hell began to give in. . .  
With a final thrust, Wing Zero was victorious, flicking Duo's choice weapon straight out of his hands and out spinning uncontrollably into space!  
"You're dead!" Trant pronounced, moving in to rip the gundam apart with his bare hands.  
Duo caught the burly fists with open palms and began to grapple with Wing Zero, a struggle that was short lived when Trant freed one of Zero's hands from Deathscythe's grip and took the head of Duo's gundam in his hands. . . Wing Zero began applying a sluggish and lingering pressure, savoring a victory that had yet to be won as he slowly proceeded to pinch off the head of Deathscythe Hell . . .  
"You fool! Haven't you realized that you haven't got a chance against me!" Trant bellowed.  
Duo vainfully endeavored to free Deathscythe as sparks of electricity jumped all around him, free from the prison the wires confined them in. He was reeking havoc on the systems. . . At this rate, it would only be a matter of time before Duo lost control!  
_'If this keeps up,' _Duo thought scornfully, '_I'll have to self-detonate to stop him!'_  
It seemed that as soon as Duo had finished that thought, he noticed an immediate change come over. The pilot watched the features of his face change from ecstatic to contemplative, to absolute horror . . .  
'_He must be having a hallucination!' _Duo realized suddenly, '_now's my chance-'  
_Duo's thoughts were cut short by Trant's outraged screams. . . Before he'd even had a chance to act, the hallucination was over and Trant was in control again...  
**_"GET AWAY FROM ME!" _**the insane lieutenant yelled with great desperation and fear, the origins of which remain unknown, as he kicked Deathscythe Hell away from him,**_ "I WON'T LOSE -" _**he screamed resentfully,_** "AND CERTAINLY NOT TO A PUNK LIKE YOU!"**_  
"If you lost," Duo began, "it wouldn't be to me! You'd be losing to the Wing Zero!"  
**"There's no way I can be defeated!" **he declared, aiming the dreaded beam cannon at Duo. . .  
**_"You still don't get it do you!" _**Duo raged, flinging forth his buster shield at that precise moment. . .

The two weapons collided with a mighty explosion that seemed to shake all of space itself, instantaneously recoiling back after impact to swallow and eliminate the mighty creatures that spurned them. . .  
"FUCK!" Duo exclaimed, punching the gas just in the nick of time to narrowly manage escaping the beam. . . The power of it left him singed, but fortunately, he'd stored up plenty of that 'goodluck', and escaped the majority of it.  
Since he was relatively safe from harm, Duo scanned the area for Trant, though nothing remained to be seen except for a slight light shining off in the far distance. . .  
'_He must have gotten caught in the explosion. . .'  
_For a while, no thought wanders across the pilot's mind as he contemplates nothing more than the silence that trails behind chaos. . . Chaos on wings. . . With impartial talons that scrape across everyone's life at some point, often more than once. Like a falcon skimming all of the lake for one fish. And why should the ripples of the water matter to that bird of prey? For what are our lives but a few drops of water in an endless sea?  
There is no control over Chaos. . . After all, that's what makes it chaotic! Now, Duo just pitied the fool that believed he could control it. . .   
"It's just too much for a human being to handle." he reflects to himself as the light fades further, "If anyone were capable of it, he'd be superior to the entire human race." 

  
  
If Wing Zero could be controlled, humanity wouldn't have to war anymore.  



	8. Neverending Story Chapter 8: The Effects...

Sorry about the delays, there's always something waiting to fuck me up. This time the computer at my house was malfunctioning. . . again! Oh sure, I could type. The problem was that until we could get some wires fixed, I couldn't get online!   
  
More German in this story, translated as usual. Don't let it confuse you. :)

I'm so pleased with all the reviews, and I'm taking all the suggestions. Since I've had more than one person comment on my first chapter, I intend to modify it soon. There is one thing that I'm afraid I'll have to keep up with though, and that is putting in some dialogue from the show. My goal is to prove to people that their relationship fits in and develops with the time-line. Maybe it'll even help us all catch a few details we missed before and get a fresh understanding on the show. I'll try to lighten up on it, though, since you've all probably heard it a million times before. Till then, enjoy!  
  
Chapter Eight: _The Never Ending Story_  
**The Effects of War and Treachery...**

Darkness cascaded in strange silent waves against the shores of Hilde's consciousness. It was this very stillness she deliberated now; as it was a foreigner to the pandemonium she was accustomed to. How could this placid menace manage to so simply and savagely prick the most elusive crevices in the bottomless gorge of worries within Hilde's unconscious mind? The silence aimlessly plucked her dreams with the vexing sound of absolutely _nothing!!_ . . . . . .Yet there _was_ something! It was the calm before the storm, the eye of the hurricane. . . Frustration worked through Hilde's restless system as she recalled the events that led to this aggravation.  
Right now it was 3:00 a.m. She had been awakened about four hours ago at around 11 o'clock by the foreboding hush that saturated the home. The neighbor's dog wasn't barking, the old tree wasn't swaying, the air conditioner wasn't sputtering, . . . and Duo wasn't snoring.   
So she got up to check on him. After all, that encounter with the Zero System was getting to him more than he'd let her know. He was acting so strange. . . strange enough to not eat that steak tonight and simply head straight for bed. . . without his ceremonial shower. Besides that, when she couldn't hear that snoring signifying his peaceful slumber, it made her think something was terribly wrong. It's true that she use to suffer from his snoring. . . but now she needed that sound to help her feel safer . . . and remind her that she wasn't alone.  
Unfortunately, when Hilde opened the door she saw that she was alone. Duo's body was missing, poorly substituted with pillows thrown under the covers. This disturbing discovery was soon followed by a house search- revealing a missing gundam and 'junk haulers'. 

So just what was he doing?!   
  
She sat sprawled on the couch, a bit angry at Duo for making her worry so much, despite his intentions- whatever they were! She knew he'd leave her some day. She'd accepted that when she first started hiding her infatuation in the closet. But that infatuation was blooming into something far more than a crush. Hilde couldn't say for sure- _wouldn't_ let herself say for certain- if she loved Duo or not. One thing that was for sure though. Whenever she thought of living in a peaceful world without him, it was a stab to the heart. A pain she could not bear and wouldn't let herself think about. All of her family was gone. To think that Duo could fall victim to his namesake and simply remain in her life as an unseen ghastly form was a thought that eluded and stranded her in the dark as alone and bewildered as she was now. He could be out there now, victim to another hallucination and needing her help! Calling for her...  
Hilde clicks on the T.V. quickly to defy her wandering mind. The screen flashes to a certain interview with the current distinguished political figure, Princess Relena Peacecraft of the Sank Kingdom. As of lately she was causing a big commotion with her pacifist ideals, a concept Hilde didn't quite fully understand or agree with. Never-the -less, the german girl began to listen to her words as welcome relief from the undiluted concern she had for Duo.  
"Peace," Relena states, " Is only thought of as an idealistic value rather than a valid solution to our problems today because no one has fully experienced it. It seems so strange to us in this turbulent world we continue to tolerate and adapt to that the serenity of silence is actually what our heart yearns for. Peace isn't the hush before a storm. It's the quiet voice of hope that lingers within all our lives . . . Do not cast this hope away as a fruitless ideal! Once we recall our faith for this peace, I truly believe that it is possible to fully eliminate war from our lives. I fully encourage all of you to open your hearts and minds to the total pacifism the Sank Kingdom is striving to promote. Let us make a better world for ourselves by setting armistice and serenity up as more than a goal to be obtained by more bloodshed. Vengeance begets only more vengeance and sorrow. . . We have, after all, no need to fear the delicate nature of peace. . . Let us make this our path to happiness."  
'_How strange,'_ Hilde thought , turning the T.V. off again as she began to doze, _'that she should mention the silence I was meditating upon earlier. . .'_

* * *

The old door rasps nastily as the expert of stealth, Duo Maxwell, sneaks in. He winces at the tell-tale racket and almost stops to shush the door as if it were an actual person. He is delayed from scolding the snitch by the sound of a rousing sleepy figure on the couch. . . Hilde.  
"Shit," Duo mutters angrily, "and _I'm _supposed to be the sneaky pilot."   
He freezes like a deer caught in the headlights of a huge eighteen wheeler as Hilde's sleepy gaze locks on to his shadowed form.  
"Duo! Where have you been-??" she stammers as the interrogation process begins. . .  
"Hey babe. . ." Duo stutters as casually as he can. "What are you doing up this late. . ." As soon as her utters that last sentence, he knows he has sealed his fate. It is obvious to any moron that she has been up waiting for him. . .  
"Me?!" Hilde practically shouts, just the reaction Duo was expecting, "What about you- I've been worried sick!. . ."  
'_Of all the things that could have come out of my mouth, I had to pick that line...' _Duo continues to lament mentally as Hilde continues fuming. . .  
". . . First you don't eat your steak, then you skip your shower, next thing I know I'm waking up because for once out of your entire stay here I actually don't hear you snoring!!. . ."  
'_I_ _snore?!?' _Duo sulks in disbelief, '_No way! Not me! I'm too pretty to snore.'  
_ ". . . and there are pillows under your blankets, and the gundam and junk haulers are gone and-"  
'_She's rambling now. I'd better butt in with something intelligent this time. . .'  
_" Hilde, I'm sorry I upset ya' but. . ."  
"I was so worried Duo!" she interrupts, "You've been acting oddly ever since Trant made you pilot Zero. . ."  
"Yeah I know, Hilde, but-"  
"How was I supposed to know you weren't in trouble. . ."  
"But Hilde-"  
" having a deadly hallucination. . ."  
"Hil-"  
"You still haven't explained everything that happened, you know! I think I deserve-"  
"_Hilde!" _Duo exclaims grabbing the German girls' shoulders and finally getting her attention, "I'm sorry I worried ya' Hilde, but I've got a really really _really_ good excuse. . ."  
"Well, what is it Duo?"  
'_Good question. . .' _the braided pilot thinks to himself lowering his eyes as he tries to figure out exactly how to explain what he was doing. He was certainly in a pickle now, that was for damn sure. He had a secret to protect, a task much harder for him than other men. For the God of Death could not tell a lie nor resort to running and hiding at this moment. . . And -say _wait a second!!!_ Was that _cleavage?!?!_"  
"Come on Duo!" Hilde exclaims impatiently, "what is it?!"  
Yup, that was cleavage. She was wearing a simple pajama style black tank top and lose dark blue pants. Duo could swear that his heart may have just skipped a few beats after that dramatic glimpse a flesh . . . something he hadn't seen since they fixed her leg up.   
"I'm_ waiting_!" Hilde cries out stubbornly.  
"Isn't that a new shirt?" Duo questions- ignoring the boring subject on hand for the one he was more interested in.  
Hilde began to turn a bright flaming red. Duo was unsure as to whether it was from embarrassment or anger but he kicks his sex drive in the ass to silence it for a bit just in case and broadens his grin as he thinks about which facts to omit and which facts to relay. . .  
"Don't worry, babe. I went on out without telling you because I've already worried you enough. I didn't mean to worry you even more. . . I was just cleaning space up a bit. I thought it might be a nice surprise for you if I went ahead and gathered the junk myself. I even dropped it off with Stan. You were supposed to stay asleep and then I'd wake ya' up in the morning and surprise you!"  
The mallet clobbering look in Hilde's eyes slowly dissipated as she calmed down. . . a most relieving sight to the God of Death.  
'_Man, that was smooth,' _Duo complimented himself happily, '_And the best part is that it's 33% true, like most fruit juices!'  
_Duo suddenly realizes that the thoughtful look in Hilde's eyes has turned quizzical as she gazes at his preachers outfit . . .  
"Space isn't the only filthy thing. " she murmurs as she eyes the streaks of fertilizer and weeds caking his suit.  
'_Fuck! I'm screwed! She's gonna find out about-!!'  
_"You don't get that dirty in space. . ."  
Duo, at a loss for words (for once!), simply grins sheepishly at Hilde as he scratches the back of his head nervously. It was a gesture Hilde was familiar with, in fact, it was the same thing he always did whenever she confronted him with such crimes as leaving the toilet seat up , trying to fix the plumbing himself, rewiring the remote to work from the bathroom (as if he could see the T.V. from there anyway), making prank phone calls, pulling some of the petals off her flowers in his so-called 'graveyard'. . .  
Hilde takes one more look at the dirt caking Duo as a look of utter disbelief crosses her face. . .  
"You didn't!!!!" she exclaims incredulously, realizing the significance of the fertilizer and weeds on his outfit as she bolted for the front door (Duo pursuing closely behind). . .   
'_Shit! She knows!' _Duo panics mentally, fearing the nights in the doghouse that awaited him. . .  
The morning light was soft at five o' clock, giving the world a watercolor wash of yellow color as the artificial sunlight slowly began to generate from the colonies mechanical system. The brightly colored flowers peeped their heads steadfastly forth to greet it, paying no mind to the motherly concerns of Hilde, who wipes the sweat from her brow with a great heaving sigh of relief. The flowers were fine, she wasn't certain how the fertilizer got so scattered along the base . . . But Duo probably just tripped on the way in-  
"I'm sorry, Duo." Hilde apologizes with a yawn, "I thought that you went into space to find Trant's body and bury it in my garden. . . I should have known better than that, it's just that I'm so tired. . ."  
"That's fine, babe." Duo exclaims as he wipes the sweat from his own brow. He laughs as he walks a bit further into the yard while Hilde retreats inside, "Can't say I blame you. That was rather suspicious since I had all this dirt on me. . .not to say that I _wouldn't_ bury his body or anything. . . ," he commented slyly as he kicked that slightly exposed shovel further under the bush.  
"Oh, stop kidding Duo!" Hilde laughs, "I'm tired!"  
"Who's kiddin'? " Duo replies, "I'm just warning you that I'm not denying anything. . ."  
"Was auch immer, Duo." Hilde replies in drowsy German. (::Whatever::)  
"What was that? What'd ya' say?"  
"Nichts. . ." (::Nothing.::)_  
_ "Hey! Hiiilldeee!" Duo whined, sprinting into the house after her. He sees that she has wasted no time in collapsing on the couch. He kinda smiles as he locks the door behind them.   
"Look at the time," Hilde exclaims, "I can't believe I've been up all night."  
" Five fifteen," Duo comments, "Can't say it's the latest I've been up. . ."  
"I should fix breakfast. . ." Hilde moans as she starts to force her exhausted body off the comforting cushions of the couch. Duo pushes her gently back down as he takes a seat next to her.   
"Who's hungry?" he laughs as he stretches out, " I'm beat. What work do we have to do today? I took care of that last night. Let's get some shut-eye."  
"Well, you do have that secret meeting at Stan's around 3:00 . . . And I've still got-"  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Save it for later Hilde. Stop worrying so much. You're tired, I'm tired, let's get some sleep." Duo states in a matter-of-fact fashion as Hilde's concerns travel in one ear and out the other.   
"Is the door locked. . ."  
"Yeah, babe. I took care of it. Go to bed."  
"I'm too comfy," Hilde murmurs.  
"No kiddin'?" Duo comments, amused by Hilde's ability to fall asleep anywhere. In this way she was a lot like him. When the opportunity came to sleep who cared if you were standing , sitting, or laying down? Duo himself had been getting some pretty decent sleep lately. It was nice to have a place to stay, a home to come back to, a friend to kid around with. . . He looked around at this place that he had become so familiar with and down at the dozy german girl that he feared he was _really_ becoming too acquainted with. Hilde was like a kindred spirit to Duo. He wouldn't deny that he'd like to take her away and be the best man he could be for her, provide for her, protect her. . . She didn't have anyone else to turn to. No more family, no more friends- just like him. Everytime they watched the death and chaos on the news they got the same look in their eyes. . .   
Some people say that the eyes are the mirrors to the soul. It was a statement Duo believed whole-heartily. He'd noticed that all of his fellow gundam pilots had identical bloody streaks sketched pensively in their eyes by the same veiled hand of fate. Who knew what directed her pen forward to chalk in the destiny of every human being? Who knew what gave her that priveiledge? All Duo knew was that regardless of whatever happened to the other pilots they were all the same in this way. A tragic past that forever tarnished their life. Much like the stained glass windows in churches, it was impossible to see anything outside of those textured effigies and hard to picture things getting better with them there.   
In so many words, Duo knew that Hilde felt the same way. She also felt the pressure of that numb hand pushing her into combat, despite how unnecessary that was. In this way, Duo fought fate. That shrouded figure had taken everyone dear to him away to make him the God of Death. He'd had enough of that bullshit and was going to keep Hilde. He'd do everything in his power to keep her and everyone else from fighting anymore, even if that meant leaving. Despite the deep feeling of grief that he felt churning in his heart, he felt that time coming soon. He just couldn't afford to involve her in this too much more. . . He wanted to insure that she'd still be back here, safe and alive after the war. Then if he lived he'd finally have a place to come home to and a living friend to welcome and help him live in a _real _future without war. . .  
Duo gazes down at Hilde, who's fast asleep beside him. He grins as he grabs the throw blanket behind him and spreads it over her.   
"There ya' go, babe," he whispers, preparing to retire to his room.  
"Don't go, Duo. . ." Hilde whispers.  
"Huh?" the braided boy questions curiously.  
"That's. . .so lonely-"  
Duo is puzzled by Hilde's slurred speech, unsure as to what exactly she is talking about.  
"Don't. . ." she moans sadly, her words as blurred and vague as Duo's restless vision.  
"I'll be right in my room, Hilde. . ."  
"It's so lonely . . . to fight . . . . . . alone. . ."  
'_She's asleep,'_ Duo realizes, '_Just sleep talking-'_  
"Don't. . . Duo- don't go... . . ."  
"It's O.K., Hilde," he whispers, settling back down again and spreading the blanket over both of them. "I'm right here. I'm not leaving yet."  
The pilot strokes the hair from her eyes and lays her head on his shoulder, ignoring that nagging feeling he always got when he got so close to her. For now, he just concentrated on his brief victory. Finding Trant's body hadn't been easy. . . Duo wasn't even certain it could be called a whole body. . . Nevertheless, a head would suffice and it was plant food now. The first victim in his graveyard. . .   
>:)  
  
* * *

Hilde awoke to the sound of sleepy shuffling as her pillow began to quiver in a vexing manner to the sound of the alarm clock. The pillow's reaction disturbed her greatly, after all- why hadn't she noticed that her pillow could move before?  
"Hello?" she hears Duo's tired voice grunt.  
'_Who is he talking to?'_ she thinks to herself, opening her eyes to investigate the area. As soon as her eyes focus to the light she recalls that she fell asleep on the couch and realizes that her pillow wasn't actually a pillow at all, just Duo's shoulder. . .  
'_How embarrassing. . .!!!!'_ Hilde laments as her face begins to flush a bright red.  
"Hi ya', Stan. . . Thanks for the wake up call." Duo yawns, working the grogginess out of his voice. "Don't fret, I'll be there on time. . . No worries. Yeah, Hilde's fine. I got caught last night, though."  
'_I still can't believe he actually thought he could get away with that. . . though it was kinda sweet. . .'  
_". . .Ah shud' up!" Duo's voice rings out quite a bit louder than before, obviously perturbed by Stan's teasing, "I still am the stealth expert. You'd better pull your foot out of your mouth before I tell everyone about that time that you. . .. Uh huh, that's what I thought. Better back down."  
Duo glances at Hilde as she stands and stretches the sleepiness from her limbs, "Listen, we gotta get ready and eat. Kinda pressed for time. Yeah, I'll see ya' later. . ."  
"What time is it?" Hilde inquires as Duo hangs up the phone.  
Duo simply whistles as he eyes the clock, "We'll have to make it quick, Hil. Two o' clock already."  
"I'll start up some sandwiches so that you can take a quick bath, andI suppose you can help me vacumn the dirt off of everything when we get back. . ."  
"Opps-sie!" Duo laughs, "Yup, I made a bigger mess than a wet dog."  
" You sure did, but at least it doesn't have that smell." Hilde smiles wryly, "Just don't take too long in the bathroom, Duo. I'd like to freshen up, too."  
"What's wrong with what you're wearin' now?" her friend comments as he makes his way to the bathroom.  
"Duo!" Hilde exclaims, turning bright red all over again as his laughter erupts from the restroom.  
  
*** * *

It's a rather quiet day, despite the fact that it's afternoon. Duo and Hilde are strolling the streets of L-2, heading for the meeting. It wasn't particularly something Duo was looking forward to. In fact, he already knew what it was about and what they were going to say and what he was going to do. . . The problem with people sometimes was that they got too predictable.  
"You know I heard something interesting on the T.V. while I was up waiting for you . . ." Hilde commented breaking the silence. Not that Duo minded. He rather appreciated the break in thought.  
"Really?" he remarks, his curiosity halfway pricked, "Ya' don't say?"  
"Yes, it was a speech by Relena Peacecraft . . ."  
"That girl always has something interesting to say, though I'm not so sure as to the credibility of her words."  
"Hm?" Hilde questions.  
"What'd she have to say?"  
"Well," the german girl started, "She said that we should think of peace as a valid solution to our problems today, rather than a fruitless ideal or the calm before a storm."  
Duo broadens his grin, although on the inside his stomach churns violently as he digests these words. He himself wasn't certain what peace was . . . A weary warrior by now, Duo had stopped seeing the world in black and white when the colonists betrayed them. Pure good and evil no longer existed. There were simply shades of grey, everything was diluted. Peace was simply a tool of war, a shield with an elaborate and over exaggerated coat of arms meant to rally the people to a certain cause. It was like all the other legendary beasts in most fables and only existed in the imagination of children . . .  
Suddenly the braided pilot stops cold - what in the hell was he just thinking! He couldn't think like this! Not Duo Maxwell!   
He nervously picked a few apples from a tree and juggled them apprehensively as they walked. He couldn't lose faith in the future that they were all fighting for . . . He had to stop visualizing peace as an impossible dream.  
"Wow, Duo!" Hilde exclaimed, "You're really good at that!"  
"Huh?" Duo stutters as Hilde knocks him out of his thoughts.  
"You're just as good as the clowns as the circus!"  
"Correction, Hilde. _They're_ just as good as _me_."  
"Yeah, I guess you are the king of clowns."  
"The _God_ of clowns." Duo joked, stopping just long enough to contemplate the double meaning behind that. . .  
"You know the circus is in town right now." Hilde mused.  
The two stop by a park bench just outside of the garage. Things are quiet right now with the exception of a single Golden Retriever scurrying about the grassy turf for bones.  
"I'll wait here for you." Hilde smiled as she took a seat, "let me know how everything goes."  
"Sure thing, babe." Duo waved as he started off toward the garage.  
  
* * *

"Our enemy isn't OZ . . ." John explains calmly, "It's the Romefeller Foundation, a ruling class on earth."  
'_Yeah, real smart comment, man. You say that as if OZ isn't and never had been a ruling class on earth when it had complete control. Why do I always have to be the one to throw these people a bone?!' _Duo agonizes mentally as he leans against the far wall. He hopes to disappear into the darkness and get away from this meeting before the lack of intellect kills him.  
The lamplight throbs softly on the table in the dark storage room. Seven other men besides Duo congregated around the light as they contemplated the possibilities of action that might be taken.   
"But would you seriously consider teaming up with the Trieze Faction?"Bob muses.  
'_This is when John is going to suggest taking in soldiers from the former alliance . . .'_ Duo yawns, _'and everyone's going to throw a big fit before they decide that it seems like it's a good idea.'_  
"Our first priority is to regain control of outer space. We'll need to take in soldiers of the former alliance. . ."  
'_Yup,' _Duo groans,_'I hate being right all the time.'  
_"Absurd!" Bob exclaims, "There's no way we could team up with them!"  
"Unless those of us that consider Romefeller an enemy all team up, there's no way we can break their control." John reasons.  
_'Yeah, that's what they all say. But they're all forgetting one big detail . . .' _  
"Maybe . . ." Nick trails off, "What do you think, Duo?"  
_'Oh my. I'm so honored that someone remembered I was here and thinks that my input is vital. I can hardly wait to tell Heero and Wufei that some people in this world actually ask for me to speak my opinion. . .' _With the conclusion of that thought, Duo begins to rely his cherished point of view_ . . .  
_"Well, it's true that Romefeller is an enemy to us, the Trieze Faction, and the Former Alliance. But still- it's just as important to think about what happens once we defeat them." With that comment, Duo turned around and started to walk away, "Get in touch with me again once you figure that out."  
"Hey there!" John calls out, "Duo!"  
"Until then I'll continue fighting alone - to defeat Romefeller."  
  
* * *

The children frolicked back and forth, faster than the beams of light hit those rumpled blades of grass that their young feet tousled. Their smiles knew no bounds and their imagination had no limits. The hearts within those kids chests did not beat to the tune of the drum set by the Trieze Faction, Oz, or even Romefeller. Exactly what kind of future those children were going to live for was undecided . . . Whether or not they would even live to enjoy any future was unknown. Despite the sunny atmosphere those kids relished, Hilde sensed the presence of clouds.  
Looking up, she notices that the golden retriever that cavorted about the field earlier has settled down near her, his eyes tanned to a honey-like bronze by the sunlight. He gazes at her with that typical dog-like curiosity with one ear raised and his head cutely tilted. Hilde could never resist a dog's charm and leaned over to scratch the vagabond's head.  
"What's your name, girl?" she questions the retriever, who answers with a simple worried whimper.  
"Don't worry." Hilde responds, "You don't need a name to live life. You just need a purpose. What's yours?"  
The dog wags it's tail, a perfect answer to Hilde's question. The dog's goal in life was a simple one- she simply wanted attention. Ironically enough it was a purpose that the retriever shared with most of humanity. Whether or not they gained that attention by power, throwing fits, creating works of art, and whatever else . . . It was craved and achieved by one form or another. Even Hilde to some extent shared this goal, though she was ashamed to admit that it had sunken down from respect from the Oz military and colonies as a soldier who gave her all on the battlefield to simply wanting attention from one man, Duo Maxwell. Sure- she still wanted to fight, but now to help him help the colonies. She was certain that this man could attain peace- true peace! Because Duo didn't fight to receive recognition from anyone. He didn't fight to be a hero. He didn't want that kind of attention. He even seemed reluctant for her attention sometimes. . .   
She sees him approaching now from the corner of her eye and stops petting the dog to give him her full attention.  
"Hey, how'd it go?"  
Duo simply collapses next to her on the bench, a gesture that did more than enough alone to answer Hilde's question.  
"That meeting wasn't going anywhere . . ."   
The two seem to turn their attention to the field as the children continue their game though in actuality both might as well be staring at space. Hilde couldn't help but to wonder how to help raise Duo's spirits. They had sunk so low since that episode with the zero system. Duo just couldn't lose faith in what he was fighting for because that was what gave him his strength. She just knew it . . .  
"Yeah, I wonder what true peace means anyway . . ." Duo thinks out loud.  
As soon as those words escape from his mouth they both jump, startled as to the meaning.  
"Huh?!" Hilde inquires, as she knows that drastic action must be taken to raise Duo's spirit. An idea enters her head suddenly and she kicks herself for not thinking of it sooner . . .  
"Nothing!" the pilot laughs nervously as he scratches the back of his neck, "Just delete that! Whoa, was that totally out of character or what?!"  
"Hey, Duo!" Hilde exclaims as she clasps her hands together, "Let's go somewhere that's really fun."  
"Somewhere fun?" Duo stammers, a bit curious to this rather sudden suggestion. He was expecting a slurry of speeches about what they were fighting for and several questions to the condition of his sanity. Not this . . . Had she seen a closeout sale or something?  
"Yeah- let's go!" Hilde exclaims as she raises him to his feet and drags him away by his sweaty sleeve faster than the speed of light, "Hurry, let's go!"  
"Ok, ok!"  
  
* * *

He finds that Hilde has ended her mad dash at a bright cheery landmark with merry music and an appalling aroma that could only be the combination of yummy corn dogs and nasty elephant dung.   
"The circus?" Duo questions, still confused. No close-out sell or suck-ass movie starring some new Hollywood heart-throb and not even a boring speech about the meaning of battle . . .  
"Yeah!" Hilde confirms cheerily, barely containing her excitement, "nothing like a family reunion to cheer a clown up!"  
"Right!" Duo laughs, "Though I don't think any members of my family are here."  
"Yeah, but you should still relate to these clowns pretty well anyway." Hilde giggles, "You can teach them a few things."  
Duo just laughs. He had to give Hilde credit, he hadn't expected this. Not a bit.   
The two began a brief journey around the tent speckled landscape as they purchased a few yummy treats and tickets to the show.  
"Come on, Duo!" Hilde urges eagerly, "The show's about to start! I can hardly wait to see the elephants and ponies and tigers and liontamers and . . ."  
"No more cotton candy for you!" Duo exclaims, "you're getting just a little too much sugar. That stuff'll kill you!"  
"Duo, you're just being silly." Hilde remarked, taking one of her caramel apples and stuffing it in his mouth like a roast pig. The pilot just shrugs his shoulders has he munches on the sweet skinned apple.  
  
Hilde got her wish as she watched in child-like fascination as the circus ponies pranced and the trapeze artists twirled. It was all just a bunch of pointless antics to Duo- who'd seen bigger stars and explosive acts in space. His personal favorite had been the human cannon because that was about how he felt right now. A lost should hurtling through the air propelled by the sheer explosive force of a single cannon, he could see where he was going and knew why he was flying. After his head hit that wall though he was left stumbling about.   
"Amazing!" Hilde exclaims, "See, isn't this fun?!" She asks for the tenth time that day.  
"You said it." Duo agrees wholeheartedly, also for the tenth time to appease his pal.  
The light on the floor suddenly focuses on the ringmaster.   
"Next up," he announces dramatically, "a performance with a lion- king of the animals- and a young clown."  
Without further distraction, a spritely clown leaps from a nearby curtain and takes a dramatic stance as a lion is let lose without chain or cage to vent his aggressions on the poor brightly clothed entertainer . . .  
"Oh! Watch out!" Hilde gasps.  
The clown leaps and twirls high in the air when the lion is a mere snap of the jaw away. The crowd watches in awe as they witness the miraculous and seemingly impossible landing . . . Not on the circus floor but on the lions back, with one hand as the beast continued to run circles around the ring . . .  
'_O.K.,' _Duo thinks to himself, '_ that wasn't too shabby.'_   
"Excellent." Hilde breathes, "I could fall for that clown . . ."  
"Sure," Duo shrugs, not quite giving Hilde the reaction he was sure she expected to get from that comment. "Whatever."  
He takes a closer look at that clown, or at least at the right side of the clown's face left exposed by the slit of a mask. . . and suddenly it seems that he can hardly believe his eyes.  
"It's him . . .Trowa!"

* * *

It was a hard process to elude Hilde and find Trowa. Fortunately his best attributes just so happened to be deception. Now he didn't necessarily _lie _to Hilde when he told her that he needed to go to the bathroom. He did need to go to the bathroom. But he didn't say he _was_ going to the bathroom.  
No harm there.  
And sneaking to the performer's tent was a breeze.  
It was just finding what part of that tent Trowa was at that was the challenge.  
Duo hears the muffled voice of a cheery female . . .  
"The crowd loved you."  
"Hope so." A male voice utters quietly in a tone so dry that it's owner couldn't possibly care about what the crowd thought of his performance.  
Duo stops dead cold by the curtain and thrusts his head through the fabric.   
"Hey, Trowa!" he exclaims happily, thrilled to see his suspicions confirmed, "It is you- Trowa! Hey-"  
"Scuse me!" the woman tries to interrupt. But Duo is oblivious to her and the blank and somewhat frightened glare of utter confusion the former-pilot is giving him. He continues to hurl question after question toward Trowa . . .  
"So you were here! Where are the others? How is Heero? Isn't he with you?"  
"Huh?" Trowa trembles, looking away from Duo's eyes as if he could avoid the braided pilot's questions so easily.  
Duo pauses now to note Trowa's dazed expression. It actually looked like Duo had hit him on the head with a ton of bricks. Had the God of Death just gotten revenge for the time Trowa belched him in the stomach on the Lunar base, . . . and more importantly for completely annihilating Deathscythe on live T.V. . . , not to mention that time when Heavyarms shot an assload of missiles at him and Heero when they all first met . . . ( wait a minute- just why was he friends with this guy anyway?!)?   
"Trowa?"Duo questions, uneased by his pal's lack of memory.  
"Get out!" The woman demands suddenly, shoving Duo away from Trowa. It is the first time Duo has actually paid attention to her presence, and since she seemed to be more talkative than the pilot she protectively clutched with her embrace, he turned to her for answers. . . Though the only question that came out was a simple, "Huh?"  
"You must be an old acquaintance from his past." She states flatly, "But Trowa's not going to be doing anymore fighting!"   
Duo stares at Trowa in disbelief. Did this woman know what she was talking about?! That was all a gundam pilot really knew how to do! They all seemed so lost when they couldn't fight . . . and now Trowa willingly gave up his battles? Blasphemy!  
"Trowa, what's gotten into you anyway!?"  
"Get out of here!" She demands loudly, her glare throwing daggers in his direction. Her voice softens suddenly as her demand turns to a plea, "Just leave us."   
"Trowa . . ." Duo whispers, suddenly realizing with horror the true reason that she gathered the shaky human into her arms. He had lived after that suit exploded and must have somehow survived drifting in space . . . Duo recalled bitterly the anxiety of his own hallucinations of drifting between life and death in space. Somehow Trowa's body survived- but his mind was lost. He had no memory and now this woman gathered him into her arms as a mother cradles her own child. Trowa was a newborn baby living within the shell of a man's body. . . and now he was expected to live in the image of that man . . . A terrible testament to the effects of war and treachery.  
Now Trowa, one of the allies in the fight for peace with Duo had become one of the innocents that needed to be protected. Instead of revitalizing Duo's desire and purpose in fighting it only further weakened his hope for peace. He left the two in silence and hoped for the strength to be able to provide these living casualties of war with the peace they deserved.  
He stepped out the same way he came in and saw Hilde waiting there for him, an eavesdropper caught in action with a heart as heavy as his own.   
She speaks to him now without words or even a glare. Rather his friend communicates with him by a simple friendly gesture as she takes his hand within her own and leads him home. 


	9. Neverending Story Chapter 9: The First B...

Sorry on the delays, I_m very busy. I know no one believes me but I AM GOING TO FINISH THIS! Even if it does go at the rate of one or two chapters per year. Hell- when I finish it people won_t even remember Gundam Wing, let alone look up fan stories on the Internet. If you guys stay with me for that long then I will be flattered, truly flattered and if I ever get to writing a book and you_re interested I_m sending free copies to your houses. Seriously. And you_ll know you can take me seriously because I_ll have actually finished what I_ve been promising to finish for ...oh God how long has it been now??? Let_s see, started 12th grade in High School, now I_m in third year of college....2001-2003 and only nine huge long ass chapters. Well, I have trimmed up the number of chapters. It shouldn_t be twenty now, I_m combining. Now it_s more like 17! Yay! About eight or more left! I_m more than half done. OK- you_re tired of my rambling now. Here_s the core:  
  
Characters not created by me. Dialogue from the story from the show wasn_t written by me. Duh. But it will be in there a good bit because that_s the glue people. I_m connecting my story to it. And my hope is that if I have these characters so in character that you kinda have to remember what_s in the show from what I_m writing. Not that you just flip by. Let me know if that works out or not. :)  
  
More German. It_s translated. let me know if you happen to speak German if I_ve mistyped. I don_t speak German. I don_t speak Japanese except for phrases an expert friend teaches me. Hablo un pequino espanol. Pequino. Muy muy muy pequino. Altavista babel fish translator is my very best friend. OK, I_m done. I promise. Enjoy the reading. (I hope) PLEASE REVIEW! IF YOU LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, I WRITE WHEN I UPDATE!  
  
Neverending Story Chapter Nine  
...The First Bite of the Apple!  
  
Fellow citizens of the colonies! The time has come to fight back! Tuberov, the man opposing all of us, is now being confined by our comrades. There is no longer any need to take any orders from anyone. The Earth has burned up our power and resources but in the past we weren_t controlled by anyone; we were treated as equals. Let us stand up for our rights people! Together let_s establish peace in Outer Space!  
  
"They_ve sure done it now," Duo sighed as his eyes narrowed as a grim reaper preparing for the harvest, "After hearing this, the colonies will jump straight into another chaotic war... What a bunch of fools!"  
  
The darkness spread across Duo like a nocturnal robe. It groveled in his presence like a servant and shielded him completely; just as the void of space served Deathsycthe Hell. Yet power over the unknown was only one talent that the pilot shared with his gundam.  
  
Or was it that the gundam shared with the pilot? Distinguishing one from the other sometimes proved to be impossible, even if one was a mobile suit and the other human!  
  
People throughout the years have noted similarities between pets and owners through physical features as well as demeanor. There was no different a relationship between Duo Maxwell and his good _buddy,_ Deathscythe Hell. Both were darkly dressed and took up a lot of space. Both were stealth experts wheither it was by jamming comm signals or snagging the neighbor_s paper and the forbidden cookie before supper. They were also both excessively loud, even if this went against their stealthy stick-to-the- shadow nature. Whenever they allowed themselves to be seen they always got a lot of attention. It was impossible not to notice that odd couple! But the most serious and puzzling likeness that kept the two together was the fact that both fought for reasons that went beyond their reasoning. The Gundam itself fought for whatever Duo fought for. Being a Mobile Suit, it didn_t really choose, did it? And Duo fought because he had the Gundam. Both fought because they had each other. One had to ask, would Duo fight so hard if he had a simple mobile suit?  
  
He would. But he wouldn_t be so determined to be strong himself. That gundam wasn_t only made of Gundaniam, it made the pilot Gundaniam too. The difference between fighting in a regular suit as opposed to a Gundam was the fact that the Gundam became the symbol of peace and reason for fighting. In a regular Mobile Suit, you fought for what you are told to fight for. There are mass produced, each one identical to the other. They don_t stick out. They don_t give any more or less than the other suits. A lot like the military pilots that control them. The same old blah, blah, blah. But the Gundams are each one of a kind. Piloting something so special forces one to think outside the militant norm of battle, i.e. "you_re on my side or theirs," and, "I_ll die for my leader... the almighty Captain BlahBlah!" What a gundam pilot will die for is their Gundam and their own individual codes that they have that Gundam defend. That may sound selfish, but these Gundam pilots cared more about the colonists than themselves or bringing anyone to power. So that_s what the Gundams themselves symbolized. It went Gundam, honor, peace, and then personal well-being. That_s what being a Gundam pilot meant and that_s what they would die for. Hilde just knew that through them, true peace would really be realized.  
  
Through all this, Hilde only felt great pain. Far worse than any wound, the truth grabbed her more harshly then than the talons of a hawk on a small field mouse. She_d known it all along, felt it_s nagging presence with her as a lump hidden deep within the basement of her mind. It had been stored there ever since the day Duo first came here with her. At 9:37 p.m. Hilde stood with her arms full of groceries as that lump lunged with thorned wings from the back of her mind to her throat... only a frightful whisper away from spoken reality. She_d suffocate to keep that monsterful truth from coming out...  
  
But why bother? It would be revealed anyway after her Death. This dreaded proclamation meant to rally the colonists to war could only lead to one thing.  
  
Er verlieB. (*He was leaving.*)  
  
He was a Gundam pilot fighting for peace. The Gundams were created to fight for peace long before the colonies were producing weapons. Now that the Colonies themselves were waging war, it was rather inevitable that Deathscythe and Duo would go do their best to end it. It was also obvious that Hilde wanted to go fight with him and obtain peace, achieve that sense of order, return home, get rid of the Gundam, buy a little black dog...  
  
"This is terrible," Hilde squeaked. Her voice was just that above a whisper and her tears were blinked back and absorbed by that heinous lump lodged her throat.  
  
Duo looked like he may have jumped a mile when he heard Hilde. It was almost as if the tiny sound of her voice was amplified to that of a fire siren.  
  
"Hiya, Hilde!" he exclaimed throwing his hand to the back of his neck and scratching in his typical fashion "You sneak right in, don_t you?"  
  
Duo had already talked about moving out of the house and into a rather neglected one between her own and Stan_s. He already _parked_ Deathscythe Hell at Hilde_s less and less as he rotated it between her house and Stan_s secret garage. He also thought she didn_t know about this. But she did. Stan_s girlfriend, Samantha, was a real gossip and thumbed through confidential paper after paper to relay every single detail she could to Hilde. Any fool with 3/4 of a brain knew he was leaving because he didn_t want Hilde or this colony in danger. But Hell! Even if she wasn_t in uniform, she was still a soldier! Hadn_t she proven anything to him?  
  
She rushed to the kitchen to put away the groceries as Duo mulled in silence. One thought went through her mind as constantly as the cycle of brightness and darkness... It was a single weak wish that was as fluttery and slight as the flickering candle on the birthday cake... it wasn_t really going to grant her wish but she was compelled to chant it ceremonially in her mind at anyway...  
  
Don_t speak...  
  
She just wanted to know the truth behind the fact that he was leaving!! Though she doubted she_d believe it if she heard it from his mouth with his hand on a stack on Bibles in every known language and denomination....  
  
Don_t speak...  
  
How did Duo feel about her? Was he really leaving her in fear of her safety and to fight battles? What did she mean to him? Was she simply a safehouse... and nothing more? Was he unhappy with her and bored of this house? These questions joined collectively to form a merry-go-round in her head that swirled in the same disconcerting motion as she unsteadily took each inquiry by the rein... Saddled and impaled on a pole painted gold, their constant wavering motion never did her any good or gave her any answers. Don_t speak.........!!  
  
The pilot rose from his seat on the couch, some of his features slid out from underneath the dark cloak to be brightened by the saddening glow of the news as he stretched. Hilde watched like a cat, fascinated by his every move as she wanted to understand why he moved the way he did, why he said the things he said, and why he kept it so secret.... Duo kept his past locked in a box much like Pandora_s. It was as if he believed that opening it to anyone would lead to all the lamentations and grievances of the Earth. One thing was for sure and that was she was enthralled my the mystery as well as the man connected to it. It was that enigma that made her want to unlock that box and read him like an open book.... to be a part of that man and his way of life and help him in every way possible till death did them part...  
don_t speak.... He approached her with stalling steps that drug against the fuzz of the carpet... Peace on her own would be impossible without him....  
don_t speak.....  
Now in the kitchen,  
his eyes latching onto each detail as if he_d never see it again....  
This house would only be a shell, a fortress of sadness and sorrow....!!! don_t speak.....  
An unrelenting source of confinement that she could not escape...  
  
don_t speak!!! A terrible thing of torture....  
don_t speak............!!!!  
A vexing source of misery with chains of  
augmentation, a past full of death, a present  
worrying about death, and a future that looked to be  
death itself..... And what if something happened to Duo? What if Death took him from her... just like everyone else she_d been close to through her life...  
  
D o n _ t s p e a k . . .  
  
Duo was behind her now. She could practically feel the burden of the news he was about to drop upon her shoulders. He turned momentarily to search the cabinets for a snack. To stall for time as he thought. . .  
  
Hilde was still lost in thought herself.  
  
_I feel like a plague. ...Black Death._ Her thoughts were angry and desperate for hope and happiness. _When can this end? All I wanted to do was bring some life and light to this world of mine somehow through fighting. But all that follows this efforts of mine seem to be bullshit. BULLSHIT._  
  
"Yeah," Duo responds. "You_re right." Hilde_s eyes burst open wide as she looks at Duo incredulously. "Was I talking out loud?" "No." he replies. The weight of the air was more than a ton. Hilde felt like she_d collapse if she didn_t let it fall now..... "I know, Duo." Hilde whispers. She turns her head away slightly and bites her lip. Composes herself. She could not be weak now. After all Duo had gone though and all that was left for him to face, he needed something strong. She was going to be that force. She made the decision then not to waver anymore. She was going to live the life she believed in. It was going to be with Duo. The war would end. Their friendship wouldn_t. That was the important thing. Whether it brought something more or not was undecided and she couldn_t decide that alone. They_d decide it together later.  
  
She turned again and smiled. "I know you have to go." Her whole demeanor had changed. She was no longer a fragile German girl that feared solitude. Now she donned her Gesicht von stark (* mask of strength*). He himself was taken back by her confession and sudden change in demeanor. It only lasted momentarily, however, before he laughed.  
  
"Guess that was a no-brainer huh?" he replied.  
  
"Yeah." Hilde smirked.  
  
Duo opened his mouth to speak again. But Hilde also took those words from his mouth as they were better tasted by her own acknowledgment.  
  
"I also know," she began slowly, "that you_re moving to another place near here in case anyone comes to investigate my house."  
  
The winged demon emerged from the cavern of her mouth painlessly and dissapated in the breeze of the open window, no longer a problem, no longer a burden. There was only silence now as Maxwell paused to scratch his head in curiosity as he wondered if his friend had the telephones wired to listen to his conversations. How else would she know???  
  
"Stan_s girlfriend does a lot of shopping." Hilde grinned as she filled in the hole to Duo_s Donut..  
  
Duo began to laugh long and hard. Hilde laughed with him. Their laughter was a relieving sensation when compared to all the silence before. Hilde addressed him again after the final chuckle.  
  
"I think it is a good idea, Duo. Just so long as....you keep in touch?"  
  
That last part came out more like a plea than a question or simple comment.  
  
"Hilde, there is no way in HELL that I wouldn_t keep contact with you around here. Where else can I get a great homecooked meal? Fast food is NEVER going to look the same."  
  
"Duo..." Hilde growled.  
  
"Damn-it, Hilde. You know what I_m saying."  
  
Her annoyance diminished and she smiled. _Yeah Duo. I know."  
  
"Thanks for understanding, babe," Duo began, "Wow! Hey, ya_ know... that sure is funny! Stan_s girlfriend and my g-"  
  
Duo_s eyes widened and his body stiffened as he recoiled his words. It was as if he_d just been shot in the heart. He went back to finish his sentence as Hilde froze in shock, wondering what that word was that almost came from his mouth...  
  
"...best friend." He completed, still mulling over what was almost exposed. "Thanks, Duo." Hilde replied, smiling as she strained to return her mind to the real subject on hand instead of pestering Duo about what he almost said, "You_re my best friend, too."  
  
Duo snatched an apple and occupied himself temporarily by devouring it. The first bite was loud and hard to chew, but the rest was easy to swallow...  
  
"Yeah, Hilde," he began after the long hush between them, "It_s a good thing I don_t have anything to pack..."  
  
"Duo!" Hilde exclaimed suddenly, "You can_t be serious!"  
  
"What? Ya_ mean you didn_t know? Well God-damn-it! Ya_ seemed to know everything else!"  
  
"But... TONIGHT!" Hilde objected.  
  
"Babe, babe! Think about it! What better time to sneak a wanted pilot out of your house than twelve midnight?"  
  
"God Duo! When were you planning on telling me!"  
  
"When ya_ got home like I did just now! When else?"  
  
* * *  
  
Duo was exasperated. How much notice did the woman want! He so often lived so on the wire that she really should be relived to be getting any notification!  
  
"No sooner!?" she continued to press.  
  
Hilde_s flesh began to flame bright red. And it wasn_t that cute kind of red like when he complimented her on her tanktop she blushed. Naw, he knew this sort of crimson color could only be the result of one of his antics which generally flustered her to a certain point of anger that was sure to raise the steam from her ears any second if he didn_t act quickly.  
  
"Hey Hilde!" Duo exclaimed as he pulled Hilde on the couch with him, "It_s OK! Calm down!" he pleaded, draping an arm over her shoulder as she took a few breaths. "Now you know me. There_s no point in telling you a few days before _cause all you_re gonna do is be sad the whole time. Now haven_t we spent this time together a lot better than that?"  
  
_Oh so so smooth..._ Duo complimented himself, _I am so much better than butter and smoother than silk..._  
  
"Yeah," Hilde consented, "You_re right. But maybe before you leave for space you could give me a little more notice. Maybe by leaking it out through Samantha again. If you happen to know when you_re leaving, that is."  
  
Duo smiled. She was really one nice piece of eye candy right now. Her eyes open wide as always yet there was some sort of a veil over them that hide her true feelings now. It was really appealing to Duo right now as it reminded him of his own plaster grin. Except for on Hilde right now as she was curled up so close to him it came across more like the veil of an Arabian princess. If only she could be wearing one of those revealing Arabian tops... just like those girls that danced for the Maganamac core.  
  
*ahem!*  
  
Never-the-less with another kick in his libido, Duo returned to the ever so important subject at hand.  
  
"The God of Death will do his best to oblige ya_, ma_am." he responds in an old west manner with a tip of his imaginary cowboy hat, " but when that day comes, you_ll be the first to know and I have to warn you that it_s definitely going to be rushed."  
  
"OK, Duo." Hilde responds with a smile. "I understand. Thanks for the advanced warning now."  
  
"Only for you babe." Duo smiles. He was particularly pleased that she caught that, "But while we_re on the subject, did his girlfriend mention anything else to you?"  
  
"No," Hilde stammers, confused, "that_s it..."  
  
_Damn-it,_ Duo laments, _why in the Hell can_t gossips ever spread the news that_s hardest for me to tell?_  
  
Duo had been having some nightmares lately. Wheither they were more side effects of Zero or just deeply hidden fears that he had yet to confront was unknown. Either way it went, this man didn_t take them lightly.  
  
They were about Hilde of course. Him being gone and fighting far in space and the soldiers looking for any information they could get, finding Hilde, torture, rape, burning her to death with this house...  
  
Duo wanted Hilde out of this place as soon as possible. It was beginning to shine like a beacon to their enemies and he didn_t want this woman to be another casualty to the mask of the Shinigami. He knew well that she wasn_t going to go easily and he was fighting an uphill battle. With a sigh he began to wage the conflict...  
  
"Then that means that you don_t know about where I wanted you to go, then."  
  
"Me to go!" Hilde sputters, "But why?"  
  
She pulled away and began to prep the heavy ammunition. Hell, he could understand the reluctance. A home must not be an easy place to leave behind. But if he had to he_d use chloroform to knock her ass out and transport her that way. At least he was trying to do this with her consent first! He was being damn-well gentleman like! Now he began with what he knew would be a typically chauvinist male response...in the language she knew best.  
  
"Sicherheit, Hilde!" Duo explained. "Wenn sie mich kommen hier, suchend und ich bin nicht hier Sie weiB, was sie tun! Wie kann ich den geschehen lassen?!" (*Safety, Hilde! If they come here looking for me and I_m not here you know what they_ll do! How can I allow that to happen?!"*)  
  
"Duo! Ich weiB ! Aber ich verlasse nicht! Ich kann nicht!" (*Duo! I know! But I_m not leaving! I can_t!*)  
  
"Was Sie sind, veruckt! Seien Sie nicht ein Dummkopf!" (*What are ya_! Crazy! Don_t be a fool!*)  
  
"Nien! Aber-" (*No! But-*)  
  
"Will ya_ hear me out woman!" he exclaimed in frustrated English. This German was getting too hard for a beginner. While he was finally learning to speak it well, it was another thing interpretting it and responding to it. A success though. She was obviously impressed by his superior male intellect as she seemed to understand everything he said this time.  
  
"Where do you want me to go?" Hilde retorted, "With Stan? They_d probably search there, too! I don_t see how that_s safer...dieses Marken keine Richtung!" (* That makes no sense! *)  
  
Duo paused, not bothering to interrprt that last part. He was pretty certain it was just insulting his logic and he got that all the time...  
  
"Yeah, but he_s used to being investigated. However, I_m afraid that_s not the place..."  
  
"Well, where is it?" Hilde prompted further.  
  
She could be really impatient sometimes. It wasn_t like it was a real far ways away... Duo scratched the back of his neck pensively. I_m mean, honestly! It was only a day and a half away!  
  
"Duo..."  
  
There was that impatient thing he was referring to. Patience was truly an attribute that Hilde needed right now. I mean, he couldn_t possibly take the time to think about how to break to her how far off he wanted her to go while she continually distracted him..., not that it was far! It wasn_t!  
  
The fingers began to tap on the table. God! He hated that sound! It was awful! Not quite as bad as nails on the chalkboard but still pestering. Very pestering. Why was she so upset anyway? Why, if he was his woman he_d be more than happy to go anywhere to please his man! Wait a sec- what was that thought that crossed his mind?  
  
Shit!  
  
She was in real trouble now! She really did have to go!  
  
She turned his face toward hers. Now that got his attention. He loved when she got forceful.  
  
"Wo bin ich aupposed, um zu gehen?" She asked more calmly now. (*Where am I supposed to go?*)  
  
"L-3, Hilde." Duo replied in an almost trance like state.  
  
"Sie sind geisteskrank!"She stood to her feet with that proclamation and Duo pulled her back down to continue the debate. (*You_re insane!*)  
  
Aha! Duo knew that phrase without hinking twice! It was one of the first he_d learned!  
  
"But Hilde," he objected, "that_s the safest place! They won_t look there and I_ve already got it all set up. Ya_ don_t have to do a thing!"  
  
"Duo, I_m not weak! I_m a fighter, too! Ich bin stark!"  
  
"Hilde, I know you_re strong," Duo began. His eyes pried into her own and he knew he always had her complete attention with that stare. "But destruction always follows the God of Death and I just want you out of it_s wake."  
  
"But Duo," Hilde interjects, "It always follows me, too. That doesn_t mean that I should run or that you should fight alone. You_re not alone. You aren_t the only one that has been spared from death to watch those you love die!" she paused momentarily before whispering, "Wir beide solten nicht allein sein mussen..." (* We both shouldn_t have to be alone... *)  
  
Duo just sighed, pulling Hilde closer. He didn_t really know why. He guessed it was more instinctive than thought out. She relaxed on his chest and listened to the sound of his heart...  
  
"Hil..., ya_ just don_t understand." Duo sighed. "This place is just a house. If it goes down, ya_ don_t need to go down with it. You can live, buy a new place to live, and manage a business. You don_t have to smear your hands with fighting. If ya_ stay here-"  
  
"You_re talking like I_m a casualty..." Hilde interrupted.  
  
Duo stopped. Those words dropped a truth on him that he hadn_t thought about before. Quite frankly, he was shocked by the truth of that statement.  
  
"I_m not dead," she began, "I_m not going to die... I_m going to live my life to the fullest for what I believe in."  
  
The braided man smiled. He knew he_d lost this war and surrendered his flag.  
  
"Those are powerful words that I suspect you_ll never let me forget."  
  
Hilde grinned, "Sure won_t!"  
  
"I_ll cancel the plans to get ya_ there Hilde. But I_m keeping everyone on standby." With that, Duo handed Hilde a folder with a cute smiling face sticker on it and some travel papers and tickets. She thumbed through it as he continued, "By the way, that smiley sticker peels off easily. Underneath it I wrote the new frequency you_ll need to contact Deathscythe Hell. Just promise me one thing, Hilde."  
  
"Yes, Duo?" Hilde questioned.  
  
"If it comes to your life and you have the chance, you_ll take that trip... and be careful."  
  
"Oh, Duo." Hilde replies, "You know I will."  
  
Duo smiled. Yup. It was too true. Hilde reminded him of himself. He hated to leave her but he wasn_t far right now. And if he ever worried too much on the battlefield about her, he_d just have to call Stan and have them tranquilize her and take her somewhere safer. After all, if the God of Death had the power and control to save one life then this would be the time to find out. Duo couldn_t think of anyone else_s life that meant more to him right now.  
  
"Duo, she asked, "How are you going to pay for this place without being suspected?"  
  
"Huh?" he stammered, "Well, I guess I_ll have to get another job!" He replied with a laugh.  
  
"I_ll stop over there tomorrow and help. After all, I_m getting really good at finding elusive parts. I may as well look for hard to find part-time positions suitable for you."  
  
"Yeah," says Duo, "That should be fine. But I warn you, if you tell me I have an interview at 3090 Summer St. and I find out that it_s Chip n_ Dales, I_m coming after you!"  
  
Hilde laughed, "Duo! I wouldn_t send you to Chip n_ Dale_s! I_d send you to Snips n_ Curls!"  
  
Duo_s mouth dropped like as comically as an anvil on a piano. "Why you-"  
  
Hilde was laughing so hard she couldn_t breathe.  
  
"You dare joke on sending me to a barber?"  
  
There was no answer from Hilde, who was far too busy laughing at Duo_s reaction to talk.  
  
He dumped his cup of water on her head and began to laugh himself as she gasped from the sudden downpour.  
  
"Oh, that_s it!"  
  
With that proclamation she yanked on his braid.  
  
"OW! OW!! OW!!! Babe, not the hair!!! Never the hair!"  
  
"I just wanted to save you the trouble of scissors cutting your scalp.....!"  
  
Duo_s eyes slit as he seethed at that comment. His hair was gorgeous! It was an absolute violation of the God of Death_s sacred rules of worship to even think about removing, harming, or even touching the hair. It was on page nine, paragraph 4, line 3 down to paragraph 6, line 7, section 3a. It was written in clear and easily understood English. Violators had to be punished as law so clearly stated.  
  
Hilde squeaked and leapt from the couch to run to her room. However, Duo was way ahead of her and before she reached her destination, he caught her and lifted her by the waist to the bathroom....  
  
Hilde screamed, "Duo! No don_t! Nien!!! Let me go! Lassen Sie michgehen!" (* No! Let me go! *)  
  
But it was too late. Duo began to fill the tub with cold water...  
  
"Stop squirming you little worm...." he spat as he struggled to detain Hilde, "you_re gettin_ it for that!"  
  
_Allright!_ he thought happily, _it_s wet-shirt time!_  
  
He turned the water off as the tub filled and tried to shove Hilde in...  
  
The woman was as desperate as an innocent man, but Duo knew better than to fall for that pity trap. She somehow managed to slip from his grip and, in a desperate last attempt, he snagged the back of her sweater to drag her over toward him. Seizing the sleeves, he prepared to hoist her into the tub...  
  
Unfortunately (?) for Duo, at that very moment Hilde Schbeiker was clever enough to raise her arms and as a result, she fell straight out of her oversized sweater while the momentum sent the lost sweater, as well as Duo Maxwell, into the bathtub...  
  
"EEEEOOOWWW!!! That_s COLD!"  
  
Hilde didn_t waste any time to laugh at Duo_s predicament. With her hands shielding her breasts, she fled desperately to her bedroom and locked the door.  
  
_What just happened?_ Duo wondered. It had all passed by so quick that it made his head spin. He cast aside the sweater as if it were a wet towel and sat sulking in the bathtub as the water continued to splash in waves over him. Like a wet dog, Duo didn_t know what he was doing in there, so very cold and soaking wet. All he knew was that someone was going to pay for that humiliation! He rose from the tub as if it were a coffin and he a zombie who sought flesh and blood. Without further thought as to what he was doing and without the knowledge that Hilde had no shirt, he rushed straight to her door and began to pound on it furiously...  
  
"Get out here, Schbeiker! I_ve got a word or two to say to you!"  
  
Hilde was laughing hysterically.  
  
"Open up! Before I count to ten! And I warn you, the God of Death tends to skip several numbers when counting after being pushed in the tub....!!!" the braided man cautioned as he began picking the lock.  
  
Hilde was still laughing.  
  
"Duo...!!!" she managed to gasp.  
  
"0ne hippopotamus....."  
  
"Duo!" Hilde she shrieked, "Don_t! I_m not dr-"  
  
"Ten hippopotamus!"  
  
Duo threw the door open and was greeted by a swift slap as Hilde, with a small pillow pushed against her chest, slammed the door on him as swiftly as he opened it. Duo stood, facing the door for several empty minutes without doing so much as blinking his eyes. He wouldn_t let himself. How could any man want to blink that image out of his eyes? That was just beautiful, even if he didn_t really see anything... the potentiality of that whole situation was like one of his dreams...  
  
Hilde opened the door to her room and walked straight into Duo, knocking him off balance and onto the floor. He blinked.  
  
_DAMN-IT! I_ve still got it, don_t worry, the image isn_t lost, it_s not gone, it_s not gone, it_s not gone...._  
  
"Duo!" Hilde exclaimed, "What were you doing standing there?!"  
  
"Huh?" Duo questioned gazing up at his friend, who, sadly enough for him, had the decency not to emerge topless with that little black bra he_d noticed earlier....  
  
"Are you O.K.?" she asked, leaning down to check out her friend (who still had a bright handmark across his left cheek).  
  
"Yeah," Duo responds as he climbs to his feet, "It_s just that I_m sorry I barged in there on you like that."  
  
Hilde was wearing a yellow short sleeved shirt with a slight V-neck. While not too much more revealing than the sweater it still looked nice with her black pants and cute beret.  
  
"Oh, Duo! I_m sorry I hit you like that! I just panicked..."  
  
"Hey babe! It_s O.K.! I should have paid more attention to the situation," he commented as he saw the tell-tale sweater floating in the bathtub.  
  
There was a quiet knock on the door that startled them both.  
  
"Wow!" Duo exclaimed, "Twelve o_ clock already! Boy does time ever fly!"  
  
"Goodbye, Duo." Hilde says as she gives her friend a quick hug, "I_ll see you tomorrow around twelve and bring you some lunch. It is O.K. if I call to ask Stan for directions, right?"  
  
"Sure is!" Duo exclaimed with a big smile on his face, "Hey, Hilde I want you to take this."  
  
Duo pulled a gun out of one of his pockets and placed it in her hand.  
  
"Duo!" she exclaimed, "you need this more than me!"  
  
"No, I don_t." Duo began to explain, "I_ll get another one tomorrow. I want you to have this tonight. That way if something happens you won_t have to defend yourself with a rolling pin."  
  
"I_d use an iron skillet, thank-you very much!" Hilde laughed. "Thanks Duo. I appreciate it."  
  
"No prob, babe! Go ahead and let the man in while I grab something real quick..."  
  
"O.K." Hilde replies without second thought, "Goodluck, Duo."  
  
"No luck to it babe!"  
  
Duo gathered his things together and hurried off into the night as the happiest man with a handslap on his face that had ever walked any colony or Earth. And the best thing was that he_d managed to sneak out a little souvenir... He wasn_t sure if he was going to give it back to Hilde or not. Why, that heinous sweater had been the cause of so much of his anger that he wasn_t sure he wanted her to wear it again when she had nice clothes that that tank top and yellow t-shirt.  
  
No, it wasn_t bad to think about stuff like that! As far as Duo was concerned, his attraction to Hilde proved that he was capable of living a normal life. However, despite that excuse, Duo was still disturbed by it and somewhat leery. Starting something with Hilde would only cause more problems in her life. By Duo_s experience, death could only be loved by death itself because death always followed death all the way to the ends of the Earth. When everything alive feared death, death could always turn to death for comfort.  
  
Duo paused after that thought. He felt he was getting a bit redundant. As a Gundam pilot, he really couldn_t make the time for anything like a relationship. Duo had enough worries on his mind dealing with himself. The Gundams were so powerful. Having one was a hefty responsibility that strayed far from any normal experience. He was given this chance to change the world and suddenly had the power to not only change it, but to rule it -if he so desired. But such flimsy cravings were the appetite of fools. Duo, like the other pilots, wanted peace. And in order to achieve it, they detached themselves from any military alliances. In all the come and go empires Duo had witnessed from OZ to Whitefang the Gundams were constant. Yet still, Duo had to wonder how anything with such a frightful amount of power possibly be the means of obtaining peace? If someone with such low respect for life like Trant ever got a Gundam, the results would be anything but peaceful! And even the pilots could be devoured by them! The two colonies destroyed by Quatre were testament to that. Could peace ever really come through these Gundams? They really seemed more like elements or physical manifestations of war itself than anything else. The real nonsensical element here was that no matter what the Gundam was, it gave Duo a purpose in life. He couldn_t let go of it or see past the war. It seemed things would remain like this forever to him.  
  
That_s why he needed Hilde. She helped him to see an aspect of himself after the war. A man that could create things without starting a battle to wage peace. One that already had peace within himself that he could share with others.  
  
Unfortunately that reason alone made him fear for her life. He was too close with this woman. He couldn_t let her die. Yet a part of himself already felt it was fated. Like Hilde said, he was acting like she was already a casualty.  
  
He could only fight that fate he feared now and fight the forces that he felt bound peace from the the people. Duo was so tired of fighting... wheither it was the real answer to his problems or not was unknown. All he felt was that he needed to continue fighting.  
  
He wondered where the other Gundam pilots were now and how they felt about everything...  
  
*** The next day***  
  
Duo had been pretty listless today. He was really a burdened soul with far too many concerns to stare at the ceiling and think about...  
  
Hilde gazed up at the pilot now, "Hmmm, huh?"  
  
He was still staring up there! She_d like to be reading that book he was writing on those walls!  
  
"Huh?" Duo stumbles over his thought, "Oh, sorry. I_m done filing my stuff." he explained.  
  
At times like this, Hilde was reminded of that day she took Duo to the circus. He_d been acting just like this and then he saw that clown, the other Gundam pilot. She knew his name now, it was Trowa. She wondered if he was still thinking about that incident since the guy didn_t seem to remember anything about Duo or a Gundam HeavyArms.  
  
"Duo, you_re still thinking of that guy, aren_t you?" she questioned awkwardly.  
  
Duo sighed, "It_s just depressing to think that could happen to a fellow Gundam pilot. And I_ve been wondering about what_s gonna happen to the colonies, too. It does kinda make ya_ think."  
  
Wow, he had it bad. Hilde figured it was time for him to hear the line again...  
  
"Why are you getting so depressed? You_re gonna live the life you believe in, right? That_s what you told me yourself." Hilde lectured him as she gazed skeptically toward him.  
  
"Yeah, that_s right." Duo agreed as he stretched upward. "Well maybe I should start by finding a decent job." He placed a smile on his face and his hands on his hips as Hilde continued to click around on the little computer. "Look, here_s a new job..." she announced with a click click of the computer keys, "They_re looking for Mobile Suit workers at a Natural resources site.... Huh?" Hilde paused skeptically as she overlooked the information on the screen.  
  
"What is it?" her friend inquired.  
  
"Look." Hilde instructed, "The satellite belongs to the Winner family."  
  
"The Winner family?" Duo repeated with some disbelief.  
  
"I had heard that all operations had been suspended indefinitely ever since the owner was killed." Hilde added. It certainly seemed strange to see the family coming back up to speed so suddenly!  
  
"Then it could only mean one thing!!!" Duo exclaimed so suddenly that it almost startled her, "The son in the family is back!"  
  
"But the son is missing.... how do you know him Duo?" Hilde asked skeptically.  
  
"Well, Hilde" Duo began, "I_d tell ya_ but it_s top secret..." he explains with a wink.  
  
"Oh!" Hilde exclaimed. The son was a pilot! Maybe if Duo met up with him, he_d stop fighting alone!  
  
"That resources satellite is only 355 miles above us... we could make it there by today." Duo contemplated.  
  
"I_ll find a shuttle," Hilde nodded, "If you want to be there by today then we_ll make it!"  
  
"Thanks, babe." Duo smiled, "Ya_ know, I think I_m finally hungry enough to eat lunch!" Hilde smiled. Finally! She could do something that really helped Duo out and reunited him with his comrades! She just hoped that the young Mr. Winner was more receptive than Trowa Barton. Duo really needed to talk to another pilot that could freshen his hopes, not dismantle them.  
  
!!!! Caution! !!!!  
  
Do not read the next part of the story if you don_t care to read more dialogue from that show freshened up with character thought or if you actually hate poor little Quatre. It is recommended, however for a fuller understanding!  
  
* * *  
  
Hilde and Duo came off the shuttle as they overlooked the place like potential buyers. Both had been on plenty of Natural Resources satellites before. But Duo beamed now as he realized that someone he knew wasn_t dirt poor and actually had possession of all this... and was still a Gundam pilot! That right there should have given him more hope but only succeeded in adding more smoke to the fire.  
  
"Well, Duo." Hilde began. "We can both get as far as third floor without an I.D. After that you_ll have to be careful."  
  
"What are you talking about! I_ve got an I.D.! Remember? I made it earlier!"  
  
"Duo!" Hilde exclaimed, "Your fake I.D._s don_t even fool me!"  
  
That was dirty! Hilde was refering to the incident where she_d thought she_d recruited him for OZ and caught him sneaking somewhere he wasn_t supposed to be. But that didn_t count on the accuracy of his fake I.D._s!  
  
"Pshah! He was gonna let me by! It would_ve fooled you if you didn_t recognize me!"  
  
"No, nien." Hilde disagreed, "I really don_t think so. Not with the picture you had on it..."  
  
"Well, this one_s serious!" Duo exclaimed, holding it close to his chest as if it were a treasure that could be damaged by Hilde_s verbal assault. How dare her underestimate the power of his fabrications!! She didn_t think that was a real driver_s license he had, did she???  
  
"I_ll manage to find it. I_ve certainly gone through worse mazes in my life!" Duo finished.  
  
"O.K." Hilde remarked somewhat reluctantly and doubtfully. Duo figured that her doubt was allright for now. Afterall, in the end it was he that would be singing the "I was right and you were wrong" song. The two continued their journey onto the satellite, a big grin plastered on Duo_s face. There was another reason he was smiling....  
  
He_d managed to talk Hilde out of the sweater and into the yellow shirt. What man wouldn_t smile after an accomplishment like that? Afterall, and oversized sweater says "poor and desperate" in public places like this. A cute yellow shirt says "I_m a close friend of one of your rich employers and you don_t want to bother me _cause it may be your mama!"  
  
It was then that Hilde questioned Duo on what a fancy priest suit says to people in this environment.  
  
"I_m holy and get out of my way before I take away your blessings!" had been his response.  
  
"Duo?" Hilde inquired as they walked toward the building, "how did you know what I was thinking last night if I wasn_t talking out loud?"  
  
"Huh?!" Duo asked, thrown for a loop on that one.  
  
"You know, in the kitchen. You agreed with me, but I didn_t say anything out loud-"  
  
"OH!" Duo remarked. She was talking about when she said that she felt like a plague... he had to say that he emphasized on that one. Even if she didn_t really say it..., "I read your lips." he explained simply.  
  
"Hm." says Hilde, "That makes sense."  
  
They began approaching the office building. "Allright, Hilde." Duo said, "It_s time to separate. I_ll pick you up on the third floor. Remember what I told you, if someone_s asking too many questions, lay on some heavy German."  
  
"Ist mein English so schlecht? Konnten Sie das wiederholen?.... I know I_ve got it." (* Is my English so bad? Could you repeat that? *)  
  
"Allright Hilde! See ya_ round!!"  
  
"Good luck..."  
  
*** A few hours later ***  
  
Duo felt now was a good time to think about the dictionary definition of guard. Funk and Wagnall_s standard desk dictionary defined a guard as someone whose priorities are as follows, " 1. To watch over or care for; protect. 2. To watch over so as to prevent escape, ect. 3. To control or prevent exit or entry through. 4. To maintain cautious control over........"  
  
Why in the Hell were these people called guards!?!  
  
There was another word for people like all the guards he_d encountered and that was SLACKER. Duo_d never met a guard worthy of the name. Nevertheless, he was one step closer to Quatre. He knew he was taking a rough shot at this, but the head guys office was usually big and on the top floor. The name on it wasn_t Quatre. It was a woman_s peculiarly enough. However, upon finding the violin and piano in the corner with Quatre_s name, he was pretty certain he was in the right place... unless he (Quatre i.e.) had a Quatre/sick sister in control.... he did have 29 of them that probably worried daily about him....  
  
For now, Duo planted himself in the big ol_ chair. It was kinda nice. He_d have to get a desk job someday. But not someday soon. Maybe when he was eighty or so.  
  
Duo began to hear some noises, one of which was Quatre_s familiar speech amongst a huge crowd of people following him around. It wasn_t the deep barreling voices of the Magnamac core, more like the rushing concerns of average businessmen. Duo wasn_t worried about them. As soon as Quatre entered the room though; Duo wasted no time rushing the dialogue along...  
  
"Nice digs!" he exclaimed as he turned the huge chair to face 04_s pilot (He_d always wanted to do that, it was like in the movies!) just before he welcomed him, "Yo Quatre, how ya_ been!"  
  
"Duo!" Quatre fled from the oppressive business men. He was just as eager to speak to another pilot as Duo was right now. They were the only ones of the group that seemed to be pretty gregarious. He ignored Duo_s hand (offered for a friendly handshake) and gave him a great big hug. Duo was never that gregarious...  
  
"Hey pal!" Duo said, "What_s up?"  
  
"Nothing much around this place!" Quatre smiled, "Please excuse me for a second."  
  
"Sure."  
  
Quatre left to dismiss the business men, promising to sign their papers later on. As soon as he shut the door, he promptly turned off his security camera.  
  
"So Duo!" Quatre exclaimed, "Wow! What a surprise! Here I was looking for you guys and one of you finds me!"  
  
"Well ya_ weren_t exactly hard to find." Duo explained.  
  
"What have you been up to, Duo?! Have you made any progress?"  
  
"To be perfectly honest," Duo laughed, "No. Well, that is to say, I_ve fixed up my new Gundam a bit and taken down some MS. No major destruction from the God of Death. The time is coming, though."  
  
"Yeah," said Quatre. He began to contemplate the recent events of the colonies somberly. Duo felt an ice breaker was needed...  
  
"What an impressive building." he started, "Your family_s really something. This is all yours now, right?"  
  
"No, not yet." Quatre replied, "My sisters are managing all of the assets of the corporation right now. As far as anyone knows, I_m missing."  
  
"Because you_re a Gundam pilot." Duo finished simply before moving on to his next question, "Quatre, where were ya_ anyway?"  
  
"On the Earth." Quatre began to explain, "I went there with Heero to figure out what we should be doing. That_s the reason I went."  
  
Duo grimaced at the thought of a long Earth journey with Heero. He wondered how many MS parts that guy had taken from Quatre since he was rich. Then he began to wonder if Quatre figured out the answer to his own million dollar question. What should he be doing right now?  
  
"So did ya_ come up with anything?" He asked as he lowered his head a took a few steps closer to the wall.  
  
"I think we gotta fight." Quatre replied strongly. He set his tea cup down firmly on the table surface. "That_s why I came looking for you guys. There are lots of kind people on Earth, Duo. And the same is true for the colonies." he paused as he looked expectantly out the nearby window. "I want to help build a world where everyone can live in peace. I want to protect the total pacifism upheld by the Sank Kingdom."  
  
"Total Pacifism?" Duo scoffed, "Do you think that such a world is really possible?"  
  
"Duo?" Quatre questioned, looking at Duo curiously as he paced closer to the wall before resting against it. Duo felt so lost. He didn_t consider Quatre_s answer an answer. More like an idealistic statement.  
  
"I_ve been fighting for the colonies all this time and they should leave the fighting to me." Duo explained, "I should be the only one to suffer as much as I did but now the colonies have decided to start a war which means that a lot more people will end up dieing."  
  
"Hm." Quatre sighed as he lowered his head and stared deeply into his tea cup, which he had picked up again a little earlier.  
  
"Maybe I_ve lost faith in what we_re fighting for and in the future that we dreamed about." Duo continued, "Maybe in the end... peace is just an impossible dream."  
  
"I made a grave mistake once..." Quatre interrupted raising his head from his now trembling tea cup. Duo figured he was referring to the Zero System. It obviously disturbed Quatre greatly, as his whole body stiffened with pain at the slightest memory of the incident. "I don_t expect to ever be forgiven." he continued, "But I_ll risk everything to show my remorse. And I_ll do that by fostering my hope for peace. Because once a dream is lost, then really, everything is lost."  
  
Duo looked upward, some of the somber features lost from his face. Now that was a good perky statement. He_d have to try to remember it later on, "You may be right about that." Duo smiled, "Although a dismal future may be more suitable for the God of Death."  
  
"Duo..." Quatre scoffed, disapproving of the joke. Quatre, like Hilde, really thought unity was extremely important. Duo didn_t deny it. It just wasn_t the right time yet to join up with Quatre. He wasn_t sure enough of his purpose in battle to be a strong support. Quatre knew it right now, too. Duo could tell by the crushed look on his face... poor guy.  
  
Nevertheless, Duo certainly couldn_t keep Hilde waiting too much longer. He feined a quick stretch as he walked toward the door to let himself out.  
  
"Well Quatre," he started, "this place is just a little too high class for me. I_ll see ya_ around buddy boy!" Duo waved.  
  
However, he was stopped by the sadness that dripped from Quatre and filled the room with a suffocatingly somber ambiance. He couldn_t leave Quatre like this, with no hope. But he didn_t really know anything hopeful to tell him. Even if he was looking for other pilots, Duo didn_t know where any of them where... except for Trowa. But Trowa didn_t count. He didn_t even know what a gundam was anymore!!! .... Still, it was the only thing that might lighten the weight from Quatre_s shoulders....  
  
"If you_re really gonna keep lookin_ for the Gundam pilots," Duo started, "then I guess you_ll see _what_s his name...._"  
  
"Duo," Quatre exclaimed slowly "do you mean..."  
  
The weight in the air began to lighten with Quatre_s hopes. Duo hated to bust them. He looked back toward Quatre and lowered his head.  
  
"Yeah...., but Quatre, he doesn_t even know what a Gundam is! He has no memory. He_s working at a circus as a clown on L-2 right now. It_s the God- damn saddest thing I ever saw..."  
  
Duo glanced back at Quatre and had to blink his eyes...was he crazy! This should be terrible news! Why was he squirming with happiness?! And-  
  
Oh no.  
  
Here comes another hug.  
  
Shit.  
  
"Oh thank-you! Thank-you! Thank-you! Thank-you for telling me that, Duo! He_s alive! He_s well! I_m so happy!"  
  
"Yeah, I couldn_t tell!" Duo squeaked.  
  
Quatre finally let go.  
  
"I_m going to leave right now!"  
  
"Now?" Duo exclaimed, "Isn_t that a little sudden?"  
  
"You don_t understand, Duo!" Quatre explained, "I thought I killed him! In the Zero-"  
  
"That thing" Duo interrupted, "is evil!"  
  
"I told him to back away... I was about to fire on another colony....but he kept talking and wouldn_t stop! I went crazy and it took me killing him to make me come out of it_s control! Trowa saved me. And he_s not dead!!! I must see him again!"  
  
"Wow," said Duo, "So that_s how it went. Well, Quatre- by the time you got everything loaded up and all, I really doubt they_d be performing. You_ll probably have to wait till tomorrow."  
  
"That_s O.K.! I can live with that! But we_ve got to get started right now!"  
  
"Whoa!" exclaimed Duo, "we?! "  
  
"Well, yeah." Quatre said. "Isn_t that where your Gundam is?"  
  
"Yeah," said Duo, "I suppose it is."  
  
"We may as well go together!"  
  
"Yeah but-" Duo stumbled. He had Hilde with him! He didn_t want her getting more involved and offering more help!  
  
And as it just so happened, the door opened just then with Hilde behind it.  
  
"Duo!" she exclaimed, "I_m sorry, I just had to come and check!"  
  
"Hilde!" he exclaimed, "How in the Hell did you get up here!!!"  
  
"I took the stairs."  
  
"What!!! But!!!! That is!!!! ARRRG!" Duo turned toward Quatre who had a smile as bright as a beacon on his face, "You call these people here security guards!"  
  
Quatre laughed. "No." he explained, "But my sisters do."  
  
Duo lowered his head in frustration.  
  
"Hilde, ya_ do realize that we_re DANGEROUS MEN, right? GUNDAM pilots. Ya_ shouldn_t rush in like that. Why, I_m likely to pull my gun out and shoot you out of sheer habit and then I_d feel awful and ..."  
  
"Uh huh!" Hilde said smiling innocently.  
  
"But I_m serious!"  
  
"I know!" she chirped.  
  
"Then why are smiling!"  
  
"Because you gave your gun to me when you moved out."  
  
Duo lost himself in a jumble of stutters before moving on. Her stubbornness to stay involved vexed the unholy hell out of him. Why in the Hell couldn_t she just stay put! Now she knew two Gundam pilots! How was he supposed to save her from death now?!?!  
  
"Ugh!" Duo exclaimed before slumping his shoulders in defeat as he made for a rushed introduction. "Allright, allright! Hilde, Quatre. Quatre, Hilde."  
  
"Hello!"  
  
"How are you," Sandrock_s pilot said with a smile.  
  
"Oh fine!"  
  
"Sprechen Sie Deutsch?" Quatre asked. (* Do you speak German? *)  
  
"Ja! Woher kommen Sie? (* Yes! Where are you from? *)  
  
As Quatre and Hilde continued their friendly conversation in German, Duo began to hope and pray that it would all turn out allright. Things were getting a little too jumbled for him to pay attention to right now. But at least she had on that yellow shirt...  
  
*** *** Duo had parted ways with Quatre and Hilde earlier. He_d even introduced Quatre to Stan, as Quatre insisted on bringing Sandrock. But that was definitely the most Duo would let Hilde get involved. He sent her off as soon as he could to keep her from offering any more services. He did not want her getting in trouble. And now Quatre was at a nice little hotel and Hilde was home and Duo was here with Deathsycthe Hell. And that served him fine. He was perfectly happy with it this way. Everyone alone and safe. Now there was only him and his Gundam for conversation, just like the old days. He hoped Deathscythe hadn_t felt neglected...  
  
"Hey, old buddy...whad d_ya_ think we should do?"  
  
Duo questioned the Gundam as he contemplated what Quatre had said earlier about risking everything to show remorse by fostering his hope for peace. Once a dream was lost, was everything really lost with it? It made sense. But was that really a reason to fight? Personally, Duo was so tired of fighting himself that he could hardly think of any permissible reason beyond stubbornness.  
  
"Can ya_ still fight?"  
  
Of course the Gundam could still fight. It was made to fight. It_s purpose hadn_t ever changed. But Duo_s had. He was almost like a different man after the recent episode with the Zero System and seeing the memory-less pilot. He_d really been depressed a long time thinking about what would happen if he lost all the happiness he_d found here. Usually, he_d just dismiss it and leave it easily. But it was harder this time. This time there was Hilde.  
  
"Yeah," Duo mused to himself, "I guess you gotta point. This isn_t like me at all, is it?"  
  
With that verification, he dismissed his current thought and went back to Quatre.  
  
"Wonder if Quatre got to see Trowa?"  
  
"DUO!!" Stan exclaims as he bursts in from no where. His voice sounded as if a fire had recently engulfed the colony, "COME QUICK!"  
  
"What_s wrong, Stan?" Duo exclaimed, "Are we under attack?!"  
  
"No, no" he huffed as he caught his breath, "-just got word...."  
  
"Word?" Duo asked, "Word about what?"  
  
"Hilde." Stan exclaimed, "There_s a whole mess of Romefeller troops down there right now!"  
  
"SHIT!" Duo exclaimed. He started to run out of the hanger when Stan grabbed him by the arm, "You can_t go, Duo! Seeing you there will only cause more trouble!"  
  
"Let go of me, old man! Hilde needs my help!"  
  
"I_m sorry to do this..." Stan apologized before tranquilizing Duo, "But I can_t let you do this. You_re too important. We_ll keep an eye on the situation for you, I promise...."  
  
"You...bastard......" Duo retorted weakly before the syrum knocked him unconscious.  
  
Hilde was as good as dead. A victim of the mask. He shouldn_t have ever loved her. Now...she was gone. 


End file.
